The EEOC Begins Enforcing “Reverse Discrimination”
By Storm Larson, Brian Goodman, and Emmerson Mirus
The EEOC has brought a new lawsuit against Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, Inc. which alleges that the company engaged in gender discrimination against a group of male employees. This lawsuit alleges that Coca-Cola unlawfully refused to invite any male employees to a networking retreat at a Connecticut casino and only invited women employees while excusing them with pay from work and not requiring them to take any paid time off.
This lawsuit is a reminder that anti-discrimination statutes run both ways and protect classes of individuals who are generally thought to belong to the majority group i.e., male employees. Coca-Cola has not yet filed an answer to the complaint which is due by April 21, 2026.
This lawsuit is also a reminder that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the employees only need to experience some harm through an adverse action to bring a suit. Adverse actions are broader than just termination, failure to promote, or failure to hire.
HR professionals are encouraged to think broadly about these issues, especially given the current EEOC’s focus on these “discrimination against a majority group” cases.
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