A US civil rights agency has sued a bottler and distributor of Coca-Cola products, alleging sex discrimination at an employee networking event that excluded men, the first to sue over workplace diversity programs since Donald Trump took office. The lawsuit filed Tuesday by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges that Coca-Cola Beverages violated federal law when it held a Northeast event for about 250 female employees at a casino in Connecticut in September 2024.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It is owned by a Japanese company called Kirin Holdings. Coca-Cola is not a defendant in this case.
An initial examination of claims made by Trump administration officials, including EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas in New Hampshire federal court, found that many common workplace diversity, equity and inclusion programs are illegal “reverse discrimination.” Trump has aggressively pushed to eliminate DEI from the federal government, the private sector and higher education, saying it is discriminatory and undermines merit-based decision-making.
DEI refers to a wide range of programs and policies that proponents say promote the fair treatment and full participation of groups that have historically been underrepresented or discriminated against. The commission is investigating Nike and Northwestern Mutual for allegedly discriminating against white people, and last year demanded that 20 major law firms turn over information on their DEI policies.
But the lawsuit against the Coca-Cola bottler is the first by the EEOC to claim that a diversity-focused workplace program is illegal.
Catherine Eschbach, the EEOC’s acting general counsel, said it is illegal to exclude a protected class of workers, such as men, from any employer-sponsored event.
“The EEOC is committed to ensuring that all employees — men and women alike — have equal access to all aspects of their employment,” Eschbach said in a statement.
The two-day networking event included a social reception, team-building exercises, recreational activities and speakers including a top executive at Coca-Cola, the commission said in the lawsuit.
Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast exempted female employees who attended the event from their regular work duties and covered all of their hotel room charges without requiring them to use paid time off, according to the suit.
