Trump administration lawsuit says a women's retreat is discrimination
As company networking events go, it was unremarkable: About 250 female employees of a Coca-Cola distributor gathered inside the ballroom of a Connecticut casino for a day of speakers and team-building exercises, preceded the night before by cocktails and dinner. The theme: Embrace Your Authenticity.
The event, held in late 2024, offered the women a chance to mingle with higher-ups and bond over their shared challenges in a male-dominated workplace, said one participant. It was fun, energizing and useful, she said.
According to a new lawsuit from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, it was also something else: illegal.
Last month, the EEOC sued Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, the Japanese-owned bottler that distributes soda in the region, saying the womens event was a form of unlawful discrimination against male employees under federal civil rights law. The agency is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2026/03/31/eeoc-lawsuit-coca-cola-bottler-discrimination/