Hello. Welcome to Training with LegalEase. Today, I would like to talk about a new Supreme Court decision that actually lowered the standard for race discrimination under Title VII. Yep, you heard me!  Our Supreme Court recently lowered the standard for race discrimination under Title VII.

Let’s talk about it.

There was a recent case filed by a police officer against the City of St. Louis Police Department. The officer alleged that she was transferred to a different job based on her gender. The Eighth Circuit Court said, “Yeah, you were transferred, but you did not get a demotion, there was no change in pay, it did not really affect your bonuses. You did not have adverse effects from the job transfer.”  In fact, the Eighth Circuit Court said the officer did not have “materially significant damage” from the job transfer.

However, the US Supreme Court rejected that argument and overruled the Eighth Circuit stating, “A Plaintiff in a Title VII case does not need to show materially significant damage. A plaintiff simply must show that there was “some harm” as a result of the employer’s actions.”

People, this is big!  Our Supreme Court just lowered the standard for Title VII.

Employers, beware! Before you act against an employee, especially if the action is border line, please contact employment counsel to find out if it meets the new test. If you are subjected to litigation down the road, it can cost a lot of money, take a lot of time, and cause undue hardship on the company. I hope this was helpful for you. If you have any questions about an employment action you want to take, give us a call. We will be happy to walk you through