News & Analysis as of

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Sexual Harassment Employer Liability Issues

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

Sixth Circuit Requires Employer Intent for Customer Sexual Harassment Under Title VII

The Sixth Circuit in Bivens v. Zep, Inc. brushed aside the EEOC’s and several circuit court positions with respect to the standard to be used when determining an employer’s liability under Title VII for sexual harassment of...more

Saul Ewing LLP

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

Saul Ewing LLP on

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

Foley & Lardner LLP

Employer Liability for Non-Employee Acts? Sixth Circuit Imposes High Standard and Rejects EEOC Guidance

Foley & Lardner LLP on

With its August 8, 2025, opinion in Bivens v. Zep, Inc., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit rejected the EEOC’s guidelines (and split with several other circuits) to hold that the standard for holding an employer...more

Proskauer - Law and the Workplace

Sixth Circuit Departs from EEOC and Other Circuits on Employer Liability Standard for Third-Party Harassment

On August 8, 2025, a Sixth Circuit panel in Bivens v. Zep, Inc. held that an employer can only be found liable under Title VII for harassment by a third party if the employer intended for the harassment to occur. This...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

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

FordHarrison

Sixth Circuit Requires Proof of Intent for Employers to be Liable for Harassment by a Nonemployee

FordHarrison on

On August 8, 2025, in Bivens v. Zep, Inc., the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that employer liability for nonemployee harassment requires proof of the employer’s intent, a departure from the...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Litigate or Arbitrate? Sixth Circuit Decision Looks at Timing of Sexual Harassment Claim

Can you compel arbitration with an employee who is alleging sexual harassment? You may recall that in 2022, Congress enacted the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act (EFAA), which precludes...more

CDF Labor Law LLP

EEOC Defines Unlawful DEI

CDF Labor Law LLP on

Yesterday, the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission published its guidance entitled: What You Should Know About DEI-Related Discrimination at Work....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

Woods Rogers

Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations

Woods Rogers on

Nothing catches people’s attention like a high-profile, drama-filled lawsuit. Not every employer will deal with a Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni-level feud, but discrimination and harassment lawsuits arise in all types of work...more

Offit Kurman

Office Romance: Navigating Workplace Relationships and Managing Legal Risks

Offit Kurman on

Dear Sarah, Two of my employees have started dating, and I’m worried it might affect their work or lead to complaints from others. Should we have a formal policy on workplace relationships? Are we even allowed to have such a...more

Berkshire

EEOC Updates Under The New Administration

Berkshire on

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has been busy since President Trump took office on January 20, 2025. On January 21st, 2025, the President appointed Andrea Lucas as Acting Chair of the EEOC. She has served...more

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP

"Tighty whitey" case has 4 good lessons about workplace retaliation

You can't make this stuff up. I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving. A federal judge just down the road from me ruled this week that a woman’s retaliation case should go to a jury, even though her sexual harassment...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Sexual Harassment Is Serious Business: A Reminder from the OFCCP

Harassment prevention is still a top priority for federal agencies (which means it should be a priority for all employers). Last spring, we blogged about the EEOC’s guidance on this issue, and now the OFCCP has issued its own...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

Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics...

The New EEOC Guidelines on Workplace Harassment

In April 2024 the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released an update to the Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace. This was the first update since 1999. Stephen Paskoff, the President and CEO of ELI,...more

Holland & Knight LLP

When Social Media Posts Become Workplace Harassment

Holland & Knight LLP on

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on July 25, 2024, ruled that under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, companies can be held liable for claims of a hostile work environment if an employee shares...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Fremont Contractor to Settle EEOC Harassment Charge

Federal Investigation Found Transgender Construction Worker Faced Hostile Work Environment, Retaliation and Constructive Discharge - OAKLAND, Calif. – Fremont-based contractor Superior Automatic Sprinkler Company has...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

EEOC Releases Recommended Practices for Preventing Workplace Harassment in Construction Industry

The construction industry has long been the subject of scrutiny by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission with regard to sexual and other harassment issues. Several unique features of constructions sites make prevention...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Workplace Harmony in 2024: Navigating the EEOC’s Latest Harassment Guidelines

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released long-awaited Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, No. 915.064. The EEOC also published a “Summary of Key Provisions,” FAQs for employees, and a...more

Lathrop GPM

EEOC Issues Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace

Lathrop GPM on

At the end of April 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published its final guidance on harassment in the workplace, “Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace” (“Guidance”). The Guidance...more

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