News & Analysis as of

Employment Litigation Sexual Harassment Title VII

Saul Ewing LLP

Sixth Circuit Imposes Heightened Standard in Non-Employee Sexual Harassment Cases

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Recently, in a case titled Bivens v. Zep, Inc., the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an employer will only be liable for a customer's harassment of an employee when the employer intends for such harassment to occur....more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

When is an employer liable for harassment by customers? You may be relieved.

When is an employer legally responsible for harassment of its employee by one of its customers? A recent court decision may be a relief for employers in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee. Most courts ruling on the...more

Vedder Price

Sixth Circuit Splits with EEOC and Other Circuits as to Employer Liability for Harassment by Non-Employees Under Title VII

Vedder Price on

In Bivens v. Zep, Inc., No. 24-2109 (6th Cir. Aug. 8, 2025), the Sixth Circuit split with the EEOC and most U.S. Courts of Appeals as to when an employer may be liable under Title VII for harassment by a non-agent (e.g.,...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

If You See Something, Do You Fix It If It Isn’t Your Employee? 6th Circuit Applies Higher Standard to Non-Employee Harassment Case

An employee tells you a customer just harassed them — what should you do? In Bivens v. Zep, Inc. the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals charts its own course in addressing employer liability for third-party harassment. The Equal...more

Keating Muething & Klekamp PLL

No Intent, No Liability: Sixth Circuit Narrows Employer Liability for Third-Party Harassment

Most employers understand their obligation to prevent discrimination and harassment at work, and the significant consequences that can come if such treatment is allowed to occur. But what if an employee alleges harassment not...more

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart,...

Did the Employer Intend for the Customer to Harass Its Employee? The Sixth Circuit Sets a High Bar

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that an employer will be liable for a customer’s harassment of an employee only when it intends for such harassment to occur. ...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Sixth Circuit Takes Restricted View of Employer Liability for Third-Party Harassment

For years, both the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and multiple federal appellate circuits have agreed on the legal standard for proving liability for sexual or other harassment by a third party such as a vendor or...more

Phelps Dunbar

Sixth Circuit Redefines Employer Liability for Client-Based Harassment

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In an explicit departure from EEOC guidance and other federal court caselaw, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit recently held that an employer can only be liable for a client/customer’s harassment of its...more

Berkshire

Texas Federal Court Vacates Portions of EEOC Harassment Guidance Protecting LGBTQ+ Workers

Berkshire on

On May 15, 2025, a Texas federal court issued a ruling that vacates portions of an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) harassment guidance that expanded the definition of sexual harassment under Title VII to...more

ArentFox Schiff

Federal Court Strikes Down Key Portions of EEOC Harassment Guidance

ArentFox Schiff on

On May 15, a Texas federal court vacated portions of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, concluding that the agency’s expanded interpretation of “sex”...more

Holland & Hart - Employers' Lawyers

A Shoddy Investigation Is Not Retaliatory

When an employee complains of discrimination or harassment, companies often investigate the matter. Doing so allows a company to address alleged improper behavior and it may allow the company to avoid potential liability –...more

Mandelbaum Barrett PC

Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni: Hollywood’s Legal Battle — A Landmark Employment Law Case

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A high-profile legal dispute is unfolding between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over workplace misconduct allegations tied to their 2024 film It Ends With Us. This case, filed in the United States District Court for...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

Lowering the Legal Standard for Establishing Workplace Harassment Claims

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In the wake the U.S. Supreme Court’s April 2024 decision in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, some federal courts feel compelled or justified applying the same rationale to lower the standard to prove up workplace harassment...more

Epstein Becker & Green

The Third Circuit Orders Another Review in Cornelius v. CVS Pharmacy, Inc.—Resolution Will Wait for Another Day in New Jersey...

Epstein Becker & Green on

Case law related to the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 (“EFAA”) continues to develop.  In late 2024, the Third Circuit seemed poised to bring further clarity as to which...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

EEOC Sues Taco Bell Franchisees for Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

Federal Agency Alleges Fast Food Companies Created Hostile Work Environment for Female Workers, Including Teens, and Fired Manager When She Reported Misconduct - DETROIT – Six related entities operating Taco Bell...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Time Was Not on Her Side: 5th Circuit Rules Unpaid Mentor’s Claim of Discrimination Is Untimely

In Title VII actions, plaintiffs have a limited amount of time to file a charge of discrimination (or a court can dismiss the case as untimely). In the case of Wells v. Texas Tech University, the timeliness dynamic was...more

EDRM - Electronic Discovery Reference Model

Cross-Motions to Compel in Employment Lawsuit

In Cooper v. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., 2025 WL 404246 (D. Md. Feb. 5, 2025)(Coulson, J.), Ms. Cooper sued BG&E and another employer for sexual harassment and discrimination....more

Proskauer - California Employment Law

Another Arbitration Agreement Bites the Dust!

The California Court of Appeal dealt another blow to arbitration, just months after we reported the last such decision here. This time, the Court ruled that the federal Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and...more

Littler

Former NLRB GC Abruzzo’s Parting Words on the Complementary Relationship between NLRA and EEOC Statutes

Littler on

On January 16, 2025, then-NLRB General Counsel Abruzzo issued Memorandum GC 25-04, Harmonization of the NLRA and EEO Laws. The memo responds to criticism from employers that NLRB decisions issued under the Biden...more

Maynard Nexsen

Sexual Harassment Claims Strike Hollywood Again: Key Takeaways for HR Professionals

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The entertainment industry, often credited for sparking the cultural “#MeToo” movement, is yet again faced with allegations of sexual harassment, this time from “It Ends With Us” star Blake Lively. On December 31, 2024,...more

Jaburg Wilk

Can I Be Forced to Arbitrate My Sexual Assault/Harassment Claims?

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On March 3, 2022, Congress enacted the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (“EFAA”) which precludes employers from requiring employees to arbitrate disputes related to sexual assault or...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Wyoming Trucking Company to Pay $124,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Resolves Federal Agency’s Charge of Sexual Harassment by Owner - CASPER, Wyo. – Waller’s Trucking Company, Inc., a family-owned Wyoming trucking company, will pay $124,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual...more

Littler

“It Ends with Us” Employment Litigation: Lessons for Hollywood Employers

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Actor Blake Lively’s December 31, 2024, lawsuit against Wayfarer Studios, LLC, director and producer Justin Baldoni, and several others associated with the movie It Ends with Us has cast a spotlight on evolving employment law...more

Carlton Fields

Eleventh Circuit Narrows Scope of Employee Title IX Claims

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Last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 does not provide an implied right of action for sex discrimination in employment. This decision deepens an...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Sex-Plus X – What’s That? Discrimination

Here’s a refresher: Discriminating against a subclass of a sex (e.g., older women or black women) is still discrimination. In McCreight v. AuburnBank, the Eleventh Circuit clarified a few things for the lawyers related to the...more

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