Supreme Court to Review Rules for Supervisor in Job-Bias Suits

Employment Discrimination Attorney ChicagoBy Bob Drummond on June 25, 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court will settle a dispute about who can be considered a workplace supervisor for purposes of a federal job-discrimination lawsuit.

The justices today agreed to consider an appeal by a black Ball State University catering worker, whose discrimination claim against the school was thrown out after a federal appeals court said her alleged harasser didn’t qualify as a supervisor. Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, an employer can be held liable if a supervisor discriminates against an employee based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Maetta Vance sued Ball State alleging that a co-worker in the Muncie, Indiana, university’s banquet and catering department — described as a salaried employee who functioned as a supervisor — had slapped her, threatened her and referred to her using racial epithets.

Supreme Court to Review Rules for Supervisor in Job-Bias Suits

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