EEOC Lawsuit Accuses Coca-Cola Distributor Of Sex Discrimination Over Women-Only Networking Event – AfroTech
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast, alleging sex discrimination against male employees, The Guardian reports.
Filed in a New Hampshire federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, the complaint claims the company violated federal law by hosting a workplace event for approximately 250 female employees at a Connecticut casino in September 2024. The EEOC claims that the company excluded male employees from the employer-sponsored gathering.
Kirin Holdings, a Japan-based beverage company, owns Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast. The lawsuit does not name The Coca-Cola Co. as a defendant, notes The Guardian.
According to The Guardian, Catherine Eschbach, the EEOC’s acting general counsel, said that excluding members of a protected class — including men — from workplace events violates federal anti-discrimination laws.
“The EEOC remains committed to ensuring that all employees — men and women alike — enjoy equal access to all aspects of their employment,” Eschbach said in a statement, the outlet notes.
The two-day networking event allegedly included a social reception, team-building exercises, recreational activities, and guest speakers, including a senior executive from Coca-Cola. The agency alleges that the company excused female employees who attended from their regular work duties without requiring them to use paid time off and fully covered their hotel expenses.
The case marks the EEOC’s first lawsuit targeting an “unlawful” workplace diversity initiative since President Donald Trump returned to office, per The Guardian. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Trump has signed several executive orders to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at the federal level and has criticized such initiatives in the private sector and higher education, arguing they undermine merit-based decision-making.
EEOC Targets Workplace DEI Amid Broader Trump Administration Efforts
The EEOC, for its part, has recently taken broader action on diversity policies. In March 2025, the agency requested information from 20 major law firms about their DEI practices, according to a news release.
“The EEOC is prepared to root out discrimination anywhere it may rear its head, including in our nation’s elite law firms,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said at the time. “No one is above the law — and certainly not the private bar.”
At the Trump administration’s request, the agency is also investigating Nike over its diversity initiatives, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. Lucas initially filed charges against Nike in 2024 while serving as a commissioner, claiming that Nike intentionally discriminated against white employees and job applicants.
According to KGW8, Nike previously adopted a five-year plan to increase representation of racial and ethnic minorities to 30% or more at or above the director level and to 35% across its U.S. corporate workforce.
In 2025, the company said it exceeded those targets by 4% and 6%, respectively, per the outlet. The EEOC, however, alleged that the measures used to achieve those goals may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits employment discrimination.
Nike has been cooperating with the investigation and described the probe as “a surprising and unusual escalation.”
“We are committed to fair and lawful employment practices and follow all applicable laws, including those that prohibit discrimination,” the company said in a statement, per KGW8. “We believe our programs and practices are consistent with those obligations and take these matters seriously.”
The company added that it will continue to work with the EEOC and respond to its petition.
