The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued Coca-Cola Northeast in Bedford over alleged gender discrimination by not including male employees in a women's networking event. The lawsuit comes as the Trump administration seeks to dismantle corporate DEI policies nationwide.
The commission alleges that Coca-Cola Northeast broke federal law and discriminated against its male employees in September 2024 during the company event, called the Women’s Forum.
Coca-Cola Northeast sponsored about 250 of the company’s female employees to attend the event at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. Participants heard from different executives and participated in team-building activities and networking, according to posts made on several of their social media accounts.
The federal commission argues that since none of the company’s male employees were invited to the Women’s Forum, the event violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on gender.
“Excluding men from an employer-sponsored event is a Title VII violation that the EEOC will act to remedy through litigation when necessary,” said Acting General Counsel Catherine Eschbach, a Trump appointee who has previously spoken in support of one of Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders.
“The EEOC remains committed to ensuring that all employees — men and women alike — enjoy equal access to all aspects of their employment, including participation in employer-sponsored events, regardless of their sex, race or other protected category.”
This case is the first by the commission to claim that a diversity-focused workplace program is unlawful, according to Reuters. It also follows recent investigations from the commission into companies like Nike and Northwestern Mutual Insurance for allegedly discriminating against white workers.
Even though the Women’s Forum happened in Connecticut, the case is filed in a federal court in New Hampshire because Coca-Cola Northeast is headquartered in Bedford and the case follows a complaint made by a male production employee at Coca-Cola’s Londonderry location.
The commission is asking for a jury trial and wants Coca-Cola to compensate the company’s male employees for any financial losses they suffered because they didn’t participate in the Women’s Forum.
In response, Coca-Cola lawyer Peter Bennett said that the commission hadn’t done a full investigation and the event complied with the commission's own regulations.
“We look forward to having our day in open court, where the full story told to a jury will vindicate us,” Bennett said, “We remain confident in our values and in our continued focus on fairness, respect and opportunity for everyone.”
