In a unanimous decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the use of a heightened evidence standard for majority-group plaintiffs in Title VII discrimination claims. The court ruled June 5 that the same standards apply to all plaintiffs under Title VII, regardless of their race or sex.
The case, Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, was filed by a heterosexual woman who alleged that she was denied a promotion and later demoted because of her sexual orientation.
Some courts, including the Sixth Circuit, have been holding majority-group plaintiffs in Title VII discrimination cases to a heightened evidentiary standard for establishing their initial claim. The Supreme Court struck down this “background circumstances” rule, which required majority-group plaintiffs to provide additional evidence that their employer was receptive to discriminating against members of the majority group.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC), our affiliated nonprofit membership association, can read more here.