Consider a scenario: a Michigan business owner testifies at a township planning meeting against a proposed development. Weeks later, the developer files a defamation suit. The suit is filed not to win, but to bury the business owner in legal fees and send a message to anyone else thinking about speaking up. Before December 2025, that business owner had no expedited way out. Now they do.
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The nascent practice of deciding workers’ wages via algorithms has caught the attention of advocates and state lawmakers who are pushing for regulation aimed at preventing discrimination and pay irregularities.
Bills in California, Colorado, Georgia, and Illinois proposed parameters last year on making compensation decisions with artificial intelligence systems, and at least a few more are trying again in 2026. Most of the bills aim to bar use of personal data that’s unrelated to work.
Read more at Bloomberg Law
At least half a dozen federal lawsuits are ongoing, with workers alleging employers are violating fiduciary duties and nondiscrimination provisions under the Affordable Care Act and Employee Retirement Income Security Act by penalizing smokers and pocketing the fines. Multiple corporations have settled cases with workers in recent months, with Performance Food Group Inc. most recently agreeing to pay $4.7 million to 18,500 employees.
Read more at Bloomberg Law
