Female employees got paid leave, hotel stays, and access to top exec
The EEOC has sued Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast for allegedly shutting male employees out of an employer-sponsored networking event.
The federal agency filed the lawsuit on February 17, 2026, in the US District Court for the District of New Hampshire, accusing the company of sex discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
According to the filing, Coca-Cola Northeast held a two-day trip and networking event on September 10 and 11, 2024, at the Mohegan Sun and Casino in Connecticut. The company privately invited female employees to attend. Male employees were not invited.
It was no casual get-together. The event included a social reception, team-building exercises, recreational activities, and the chance to hear from speakers — among them Jennifer Mann, President of Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit, and corporate executives from other companies who discussed their career paths. Around 250 female employees attended.
The EEOC alleges that female attendees were excused from their normal work duties on both days and paid their normal salary or wages without having to use vacation or other paid time off. The company also allegedly covered hotel room charges and taxes for female employees who stayed at the Mohegan Sun on September 10, 2024, and provided other benefits including food and/or beverages.
Male employees, the agency contends, were not offered or provided any of these benefits.
The case stems from a charge filed by a male production employee working at the company's facility in Londonderry, New Hampshire. According to the filing, he and other male employees would have attended the event had they been invited. The EEOC alleges that by excluding them, the company deprived male employees of equal employment opportunities and adversely affected their status as employees on the basis of sex.
Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast produces, sells, and distributes Coca-Cola brand beverages in seven states within the Northeast United States.
Before bringing the case to court, the EEOC followed its standard process. In January 2025, the agency found reasonable cause to believe the company had violated federal law. It then attempted to resolve the matter through conciliation — a negotiation process aimed at reaching a settlement — but those efforts fell through. In August 2025, the agency formally notified the company that conciliation had failed, clearing the path for litigation.
The EEOC characterizes the company's actions as intentional and carried out with malice or reckless indifference to the federally protected rights of male employees. The agency is seeking a court order permanently barring sex-based discrimination, requiring the company to put in place policies, practices, and programs giving male employees equal access to employer-sponsored events, along with compensatory and punitive damages. It has also requested a jury trial.
No final determination has been made in the case.
