Coke Bottler Sued for Throwing Ladies-Only Party, Men Feel Left Out

KEY POINTS

•The EEOC sued Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast for holding a women-only corporate event in Connecticut in September 2024.
•Female employees were paid their normal salary during the event without using paid time off, while men were excluded.
•The lawsuit follows heightened EEOC scrutiny of discrimination issues under President Trump's second term and other corporate probes.

In a plot twist fizzier than a shaken soda, Coca-Cola Beverages Northeast got slapped with a lawsuit by the EEOC on July 24, 2025, for hosting a women-only networking retreat in Connecticut back in September 2024. The Coke distributor apparently excused female employees from regular work duties, paid them full salaries without using vacation days, and blatantly snubbed every man in the office. The EEOC, under the newly male-diversity-bashing Trump administration, called foul, saying excluding men on a company dime violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act—because apparently, "networking" doesn’t mean 'refreshments for all.' The company, headquartered in Bedford, New Hampshire, stayed mum, even as EEOC's Catherine Eschbach vowed legal action. Meanwhile, EEOC juggles probes on Nike and Northwestern Mutual about their own baffling DEI complaints. The irony? Coca-Cola got called out for women's empowerment while Trump defunds decades-old equal opportunity rules. It’s like hosting an all-you-can-eat buffet but kicking out half the customers—while still charging them. Refreshing drama, indeed.