Supreme Court makes it easier to sue employers for job transfers

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled to simplify the process for employees to sue their employers for discrimination following involuntary job transfers. The unanimous decision, authored by Justice Elena Kagan, favored Jatonya Clayborn Muldrow, a St. Louis police sergeant. She argued her department discriminated against her by moving her from an intelligence division to a less desirable position without changing her pay. Previously, lower courts had dismissed Muldrow’s case, ruling that the transfer did not constitute a “materially significant” disadvantage. However, Justice Kagan clarified that an employee only needs to demonstrate some harm, not necessarily a significant one, to sue under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which guards against workplace discrimination. This landmark ruling allows Muldrow’s case to proceed in a lower court and sets a precedent that may ease the criteria for proving harm in discrimination cases related to job transfers.

Source: CNN