Employers contemplating a forced transfer of a worker will need to grapple with a new standard set out by the US Supreme Court under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the law that makes it unlawful to discriminate against workers based on various protected characteristics. The Supreme Court in Muldrow v. City of St. Louis issued an important ruling that clarifies the evidentiary standard employees must meet when asserting a discriminatory transfer claim against an employer under Title VII. Prior to the Court’s decision, there was a Circuit split with most courts holding that an employee had to show a significant employment disadvantage to prevail on a claim that their transfer violated Title VII. In its opinion, the Supreme Court held instead that an employee must show (i) the employer’s action was discriminatory, and (ii) that the employee suffered “some harm” respecting an “identifiable term or condition of employment” to state a claim for discrimination under Title VII. The majority noted that the Court’s “some harm” standard is a downward departure from the type of evidence that lower courts had traditionally required to show discrimination under Title VII – namely, that an employee must suffer “significant,” “material,” or “serious” harm to have an actionable claim.
Latest Post
More Posts
Final Rule Requires Project Labor Agreements for Federal Construction Contractors
USDOL Finalizes Right of First Refusal Regulation for Federal Contractors
NLRB and OSHA to Enhance Enforcement Cooperation
OFCCP Publishes Final Rule on Pre-Determination Requirements and Conciliation
TikTok “Bytes” the Dust for Federal Contractors and Other Important Updates
D.C. Circuit Requires Compliance with Rules 23(a) and (b) to Certify Rule 23(c)(4) “Issue” Class Actions
Ninth Circuit Says Music in the Workplace Can Form Basis for Harassment Claim Under Title VII
Fourth Circuit Outlines Pitfalls in Using Severance Plans for Layoffs
Under the Radar Laws Expand Protections for Pregnant Employees in the Workplace
Subscribe: Subscribe via RSS
Firm/Org