Federal judge lets former HHS employee's telework-related sex discrimination and retaliation claims go to trial
Key points
- Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled Ingrid Caples' sex discrimination and retaliation claims can proceed to trial
- The judge found sufficient evidence of animus toward women for a jury to infer discrimination
- Coworker affidavits support her account of derogatory comments and exclusion from key meetings
Judge Amit P. Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia ruled that former federal employee Ingrid Caples can proceed with claims that her supervisors at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) denied her telework requests and penalized her work due to sex discrimination and retaliation. The judge found she offered sufficient evidence of animus toward women for a reasonable jury to infer discrimination. Caples says her supervisors made derogatory comments about women and excluded women from key meetings, and coworker affidavits support her account.
What employers should do
- Confirm telework request decisions apply the same criteria regardless of sex
- Keep written records of the basis for decisions on employee requests and performance evaluations
Policy details
- Jurisdiction
- Federal
- Status
- Court ruling
- Effective date
- —
- Employers covered
- Federal agency (HHS)
- Official source
- View official source ↗
Original report: Bloomberg Law News ↗AI-assisted brief; may contain inaccuracies. Rely on the original reports and official documents. For information only; not legal, immigration or insurance advice.