Sessions

Track: Employment Law & Legislation

Recent cases have extended the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to cover so-called associational discrimination interpreting federal law to prevent discrimination and retaliation based, not only on an employees own protected characteristics or activity, but on the employees’ association with another individual who comes within a protected classification or who has engaged in protected activity. In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court soon will be issuing its ruling on whether the same protection extends to an employee whose fianc or friend has complained of discrimination. This presentation will examine this trend in federal discrimination law by analyzing recent cases that established the associational discrimination doctrine and the pending case at the U.S. Supreme Court.