The Trump administration is suing a Coca-Cola distributor in New Hampshire for discriminating against male employees by hosting a women-only networking event in September 2024 – making it the first lawsuit related to workplace diversity, equity and inclusion in the second Trump administration.
Between September 10 and September 11, 2024, Coca-Cola Beverages Northwest Inc., a Japanese-owned distributor of Coca-Cola and other soda products in the region, hosted 250 women employees at a networking event in Connecticut.
“Everyone could just kind of be free and talk about their struggles,” an unnamed employee who attended the event told the Washington Post. “It’s very empowering for women to get in the same room.”
But nearly a year and a half later, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the civil rights agency tasked with investigating and addressing workplace discrimination complaints, accused the company of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
“The unlawful employment practices complained of above were done with malice or reckless indifference to the federally protected rights of male employees,” the EEOC wrote in its complaint.
The EEOC said Coca-Cola Beverage Northeast Inc. damaged male employees by not offering them the same opportunities or providing them with any benefit equivalent to the subsidized lodging, food and activities that the women received.
“Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast finds it disappointing that the EEOC did not conduct a full investigation and we look forward to having our day in open court when we can tell the full story and expect to be vindicated,” Peter Bennett, a lawyer representing Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast Inc. said in a statement to The Independent.
“We remain confident in our values and in our continued focus on fairness, respect, and opportunity for everyone. We remain committed to upholding our responsibilities to our employees, customers, and the communities in which we live and work,” Bennett added.
The EEOC’s pursuit of the lawsuit appears to align with President Donald Trump’s perspective on how certain diversity policies, such as affirmative action, have been unfair toward white people
“White people were very badly treated, where they did extremely well and they were not invited to go into a university to college,” Trump told the New York Times in an interview earlier this year. “So I would say in that way, I think it was unfair in certain cases.”
As one of his first actions in office, Trump dismantled DEI policies throughout the federal government and vowed to hold higher education institutions and companies that contract with the government accountable for implementing DEI.
The president’s agenda is directly reflected in the goals outlined by EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who was initially appointed to the commission by Trump in 2020.
"Are you a white male who's experienced discrimination at work based on your race or sex?" Lucas said in a video posted to her X account in December.
"You may have a claim to recover money under federal civil rights laws. Contact the EEOC as soon as possible,” Lucas added.
Shortly before Trump was inaugurated in January 2025, the EEOC determined there was “reasonable cause” to believe the Coca-Cola Beverage Northeast Inc. had violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Initially, the commission attempted to remedy the discriminatory practices with a conciliation agreement, or a formal agreement that outlines corrective actions to avoid litigation. However, by August, the EEOC was unable to secure an “acceptable” agreement.
The EEOC is asking a judge for a jury trial to award an undetermined amount in damages to the employee who filed the complaint and other male employees at Coca-Cola Beverage Northeast Inc.
A 2025 Supreme Court ruling made it easier for people belonging to “majority” groups to file successful discriminatory lawsuits by lowering the bar of what is considered discriminatory. Initially, those in “majority” groups would need to provide “background circumstances” to succeed in discrimination allegations – however, the court ruled it was unfair.
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