Coca-Cola excluded men from work trip, violating Title VII, EEOC alleges

Posted by News Room 19 February 2026
Coca-Cola excluded men from work trip, violating Title VII, EEOC alleges

Dive Brief:

  • The northeast division of Coca-Cola violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by privately inviting women workers on a two-day networking trip in September 2024, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday.
  • EEOC pointed to Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast’s failure to invite men to the event, which was employer-sponsored, as grounds for a lawsuit. 
  • The commission also pointed to the fact that women workers were excused from their regular duties but paid their normal salary or wages as discrimination against the men working at Coca-Cola Northeast.

Dive Insight:

This lawsuit brought by EEOC is yet another in a string of recently publicized lawsuits involving majority-group plaintiffs alleging discrimination.

Employment attorneys told HR Dive last month that they had not seen an uptick in “reverse discrimination” lawsuits over the past year in their private practice. However, they did foretell EEOC homing in on reverse discrimination as a strategic priority for 2026.

EEOC’s lawsuit against Coca-Cola is right in line with this shift in enforcement. 

“Excluding men from an employer-sponsored event is a Title VII violation that the EEOC will act to remedy through litigation when necessary,” said Catherine Eschbach, acting EEOC general counsel, in a statement Wednesday.

“The EEOC remains committed to ensuring that all employees — men and women alike — enjoy equal access to all aspects of their employment, including participation in employer-sponsored events, regardless of their sex, race or other protected category,” Eschbach added.

Coca-Cola Northeast maintains that it did not violate Title VII. 

“This event fully complied with existing EEOC regulation and its public commentary approving of such events,” a spokesperson for the division told HR Dive. “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 where the full story told to a jury will vindicate us.”

The spokesperson also clarified that it was a one-day event, and said that Coca-Cola will continue to “focus on fairness, respect, and opportunity for everyone.”