Two federal courts have now spoken – and your onboarding docs may need urgent revision
A federal appeals court has struck down a common employer practice: using pre-employment agreements to cut short the time workers have to file discrimination claims.
On March 4, 2026, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that employers cannot contractually shrink the deadlines that federal law gives employees to pursue discrimination claims. The decision is a direct signal to HR teams: check your onboarding paperwork now.
The case started simply enough. Natalie Thomas was hired by EOTech, LLC and, before her first day, signed an employment document that included what the court called a "Limitations Agreement" – a clause, drafted by EOTech, that gave Thomas only 180 days from any workplace incident to bring a claim. Under federal law, she would have had considerably more time.
When EOTech fired Thomas in November 2022, she did what federal law instructs employees to do. She filed a discrimination charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, waited for the agency to complete its process, received a right-to-sue letter, and filed her lawsuit within 90 days – precisely on time under federal statute. EOTech's response was to argue that Thomas had already run out the clock under the 180-day agreement she signed at hiring. A lower court agreed and threw out her case entirely.
The appeals court disagreed, and its reasoning is important for anyone who...
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