On March 3, 2026, a federal judge in the District of New Jersey transferred an employment lawsuit to North Carolina, holding that the case should proceed in the state where the corporate decisions were made, rather than where the remote employee performed their work.

Background

In Papa v. IAT Insurance Group, Inc., a New Jersey resident worked remotely from her home as a senior instructional designer for a North Carolina-based insurance company. The remote employee filed suit against the company in the District Court of New Jersey, alleging that she was subject to discrimination and retaliation by her employer. The employer moved to transfer the case to the Eastern District of North Carolina, arguing that although the employee worked remotely from New Jersey and was present in New Jersey during many of the alleged discriminatory actions, the key employment decisions underlying her claims were made at the company’s headquarters in North Carolina.