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Hostile Environment Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Employer Liability Issues

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

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

Littler

Sixth Circuit Limits Employer Liability for Harassment by Nonemployees

Littler on

On August 8, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit ruled an employer is not liable for harassment of an employee by a third party unless the employer intended for the harassment to occur. This stark departure...more

Dickinson Wright

Sixth Circuit Raises Bar for Employer Liability for Customer Harassment of Employees

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In Bivens v. ZEP, Inc., the Sixth Circuit held that an employer is not liable under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended (Title VII), for harassment by a customer unless the employer intended the harassment...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

Jackson Lewis P.C.

What Do Recent DEI Training-Focused Federal Agency Guidance and Court Decisions Mean for Employers?

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Two new technical-assistance documents jointly released by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) warn that common diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-training practices —...more

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

What Is Illegal DEI? Employers and Workers Are Still Looking for Answers

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Five years ago, companies were eager to adopt diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Now, the pendulum has swung in the other direction. DEI programs are under attack, and employers are trying to figure out what...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Workplace Investigations – One Size Does Not Fit All

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Over the last few years, employers have faced new and expanded obligations under state and federal employment laws relating to prohibition of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace. These changes stem...more

Amundsen Davis LLC

EEOC Sets Its Sights on DEI Programs: What Employers Need to Know

Amundsen Davis LLC on

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced that it will be examining DEI programs for potential violations of Title VII following President Trump’s executive orders regarding DEI programs and the...more

Polsinelli

EEOC Guidance on DEI-Related Discrimination in the Workplace

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On March 20, 2025, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued two key pieces of guidance: What To Do If You Experience Discrimination Related to DEI at Work and What You Should Know About DEI-Related...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

Venable LLP

Ninth Circuit to Employers: What Your Employees Say on Social Media May Haunt You

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Picture this: You're packing up your office, getting ready to head home for the evening, when your human resources manager peaks her head in. She explains that she has just fielded a complaint from a female employee: a male...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

ArentFox Schiff

Social Media Creating a Hostile Work Environment: What To Know Following Okonowsky v. Garland

ArentFox Schiff on

It is not news that employees “hang out” and socialize “outside of work” through social media platforms. While these platforms provide outlets for employees to express themselves, bond, chat, joke, and share vacation photos,...more

Holland & Knight LLP

When Social Media Posts Become Workplace Harassment

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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

Venable LLP

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Issues New Guidance on Workplace Harassment

Venable LLP on

On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) finally published its updated guidance on workplace harassment, formalizing the EEOC's position regarding additional protections for employees....more

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

EEOC Announces New Workplace Harassment Guidance

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new guidance (Guidance) on April 29, 2024 regarding workplace harassment and its violation of federal law, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age...more

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Get with the Pronoun: Eleventh Circuit Rules Pervasive Misgendering Is Harassment

If an employer or coworker persistently uses a transgender worker’s wrong name or identified pronoun, can that constitute a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII? In Copeland v. Georgia Department of Corrections,...more

Bracewell LLP

EEOC Finalizes Long-Awaited Workplace Harassment Enforcement Guidance

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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published its long-awaited final guidance on harassment in the workplace on April 29, 2024, several months following its released proposed guidance in September, which we...more

Buchalter

Navigating Workplace Inclusivity: How Employers Can Better Understand and Apply the EEOC’s Recent Guidance on Workplace Harassment

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On April 29, 2024, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new enforcement guidance on workplace harassment in a step toward fostering a more inclusive workplace environment. This guidance serves as a...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

EEOC Issues Long-Awaited Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace

On April 29, 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new enforcement guidance on harassment in the workplace. The guidance is the result of approximately seven years of effort and replaces...more

Bricker Graydon LLP

EEOC Updates Its Guidance on Workplace Harassment

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The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) hopped on the bandwagon of employment law updates this week by updating its guidance to prevent workplace harassment. This guidance focuses on protecting covered employees...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

The EEOC’s Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace: What Employers Need to Know

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The EEOC recently released its final Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, replacing earlier guidance issued between 1987 and 1999. The guidance, issued on April 29, 2024, reflects how the EEOC’s...more

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