News & Analysis as of

Title VII › Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) › Hostile Environment

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1964 and aimed at preventing discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. Title VII... more +
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1964 and aimed at preventing discrimination in the workplace on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, and religion. Title VII has been subsequently extended to discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and sexual stereotypes and to prohibit sexual harassment. Title VII applies to all employers with fifteen or more employees including private employers, state and local governments, and educational institutions.  less -
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

Proskauer - Law and the Workplace on

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.

Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP on

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

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP on

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

Dickinson Wright on

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

BakerHostetler

Trump Administration Releases New Guidance on Unlawful DEI

BakerHostetler on

On July 30, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a new memorandum from Attorney General Pam Bondi that provides further guidance on what DEI practices the Trump Administration considers unlawful discrimination. ...more

Robinson Bradshaw

EEOC Guidance Partially Vacated: What’s an Employer to Do?

Robinson Bradshaw on

Savvy employers read and implemented the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace. Now, portions of that Guidance relating to LGBTQ+ employee rights are defunct....more

Jackson Lewis P.C.

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

Jackson Lewis P.C. on

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

Lerch, Early & Brewer

What Employers Need to Know About the New EEOC Guidance Regarding DEI–Related Discrimination

Lerch, Early & Brewer on

On March 19, 2025, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the United States Justice Department jointly issued two technical assistance documents focused on educating the public about DEI-related...more

Oppenheimer Investigations Group

Digital Danger: When Social Media Posts Can Trigger Workplace Investigations

Oppenheimer Investigations Group on

Employers bear the responsibility of preventing and correcting harassment in the workplace. While the line between on and off duty conduct has never been crystal clear, in today’s hyper-connected world of social media, the...more

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

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

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP on

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

Mayer Brown

DOJ and EEOC Issue Guidance Regarding “Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination”

Mayer Brown on

On March 19, 2025, the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) issued a joint press release announcing two technical assistance documents addressing diversity, equity, and...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

Polsinelli on

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

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

EEOC and DOJ Issue Joint Press Release and Technical Assistance Documents on “Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination”

Dorsey & Whitney LLP on

On March 19, 2025, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a joint press release announcing the release of two technical assistance documents designed to...more

Holland & Hart - Employers' Lawyers

DEI and Discrimination: What Employers Should Know

Holland & Hart - Employers' Lawyers on

Warning of unlawful DEI-related discrimination in the workplace, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued guidance this week outlining when a DEI initiative, policy,...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

EEOC Sues Taco Bell Franchisees for Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission... on

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

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

EEOC Prioritizes Campus Antisemitism: What Employers Need to Know

Seyfarth Shaw LLP on

In a March 5, 2025 press release, Andrea Lucas, the Acting Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), emphasized the agency’s plans to prioritize holding universities and colleges accountable to prevent...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Federal Government’s Ping Pong Match on Independent Contractor Rule Is Distraction From Enhancing IC Compliance: January 2025 IC...

Troutman Pepper Locke on

Few federal regulations over the past five years have produced more needless concern by stakeholders than the independent contractor rules under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) issued by the different...more

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

Fourth Circuit Says Failure to Follow Policies Prevents Early Dismissal of Discrimination Claims

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP on

Earlier this month, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (which includes North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia) vacated the district court’s grant of summary judgment for the employer in Wannamaker-Amos v. Purem Novi...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

United Airlines to Pay $99,000 in EEOC Discrimination Case

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission... on

Airline Settles Federal Lawsuit for Former Asian American Employee Subjected to a Hostile Work Environment Based on His Race (Asian) and National Origin (Mongolian) - DENVER — United Airlines, Inc. a Delaware corporation...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Prosero Management and Prestigious Placement to Pay $215,000 in EEOC Harassment and Retaliation Suit

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission... on

Staffing Agency and Management Group Settle Federal Charges They Subjected Female Employees to Hostile Environment at Memphis Warehouse - MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Prestigious Placement, Inc., and Prosero, Inc., will pay $215,000...more

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission...

Jury Awards $2.17 Million Against SkyWest Airlines for Sex Discrimination

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission... on

Federal Agency Charged Airline Failed to Address Sexually Hostile Work Environment - DALLAS – A federal jury has awarded $2 million in punitive damages against SkyWest Airlines, a Utah-based airline, and $170,000 for...more

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