Was he let go for breaking the company dating policy, or because his relationship was interracial?
The employer had a policy prohibiting managers from dating lower-level employees. One supervisor broke the rule when he married an employee. For a short time, they managed to keep the marriage a secret.
But once the company found out, he was told to end the relationship, quit or be fired. He chose the latter, and sued for discrimination. Why? Because he was black and the woman was white, and he claimed that was why the company decided to crack down on their behavior.
However, the judge asked if the company had ever let two white employees break the rule. The man couldn’t show that had ever happened.
The company won the case when it was able to prove its policy was consistently enforced.
Cite: Ellis v. United Parcel Service, Inc.
