US civil rights agency sues Coca-Cola distributor for excluding men from casino work trip

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The U.S. federal agency that enforces workplace civil rights is suing a regional Coca-Cola bottler for sex discrimination, alleging the company discriminated against male employees by only inviting women to a company-sponsored networking event.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the lawsuit on behalf of a male employee of Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast who complained about a two-day networking trip for about 250 women in September 2024 at the Mohegan Sun casino resort in Connecticut. The lawsuit alleged that the Bedford, New Hampshire-based company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by excluding male employees from the event.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in New Hampshire district court, challenges the sort of diversity programming the EEOC has aggressively targeted since President Donald Trump overhauled the agency, which was created by Congress under the Civil Rights Act. It comes just two weeks after the EEOC revealed that it is investigating sportswear giant Nike for allegedly discriminating against white employees through its diversity policies.

“Excluding men from an employer-sponsored event is a Title VII violation that the EEOC will act to remedy through litigation when necessary,” acting EEOC general counsel Catherine L. Eschbach said in a statement Wednesday announcing the lawsuit against Coca-Cola Northeast.

The EEOC said in court documents that it filed the lawsuit after failing to reach a conciliation agreement with Coca-Cola Beverage Northeast, an independent Coca-Cola bottler that serves New England and upstate New York.

But in a statement sent to The Associated Press, Coca-Cola Northeast said it “finds it disappointing that the EEOC did not conduct a full investigation and we look forward to having our day in open court when we can tell the full story and expect to be vindicated.”

The company declined to comment on the details of the lawsuit.

In a LinkedIn post, Coca-Cola Northeast celebrated what it called its “first in-person Women’s Forum” attended by 250 female associates, describing it as a “networking reception and event.” Speakers talked about navigating a male-dominated industry, balancing work and personal life, and other topics, according to the post.

The EEOC’s lawsuit said the company paid for lodging, meals and other benefits for attendees and paid them their salaries while excusing them from regular work duties. The agency is seeking monetary compensation for a class of men who were excluded, saying they suffered not only financial losses but “emotional pain, suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish.”

In its news release, the EEOC directed the public to its fact sheet on DEI-related discrimination, a document that takes aim at practices such as training, employee resource groups and fellowship programs. It stops short of declaring any one practice illegal, but warns they could veer into discrimination depending on how they are constructed.

EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, a Trump appointee, has long been a staunch critic of many corporate DEI practices. In December, Lucas posted a social media call-out urging white men to come forward if they have experienced discrimination at work.

Civil rights activists and former Democratic commissioners of the EEOC have decried her methods, saying she is imperiling longstanding practices that have been upheld by courts and are intended to prevent discrimination and eliminate structural barriers for women and minorities.

Targeted programs, such as networking events, for particular demographic groups have been among the most vulnerable to lawsuits challenging diversity practices, said David Glasgow, co-founder of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU School of Law, which tracks anti-DEI litigation.

“We urge organizations to shift ‘from cohorts to content,’ meaning that instead of limiting participation based on cohort, they could open it up to anyone who is committed to the content of the program,” said Glasgow, co-author of the book “How Equality Wins,” which aims to provide a blueprint on how organizations can navigate the backlash against DEI policies.

Glasgow said most of the lawsuits against “targeted programs” have been settled after the defending party opens the program to all.

“It’s a bit odd that the current iteration of the EEOC thinks that going after regional companies for hosting a two-day women’s retreat is a good use of limited resources at a time when there is still extensive discrimination against women in the workplace,” Glasgow said in an email to AP.

The EEOC did not reply to requests for further comment on the lawsuit.

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