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ARTICLE · 09 NOVEMBER 2022

A Six-year-old Can Create A Hostile Work Environment. Wait, What?!?

Fisher Broyles
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In my many years of practicing employment law, I've seen hostile work environment accusations leveled against owners, supervisors, co-workers, subordinates, customers, vendors, and many others.

United StatesEmployment and HR
Eric B. Meyer
Eric B. Meyer

In my many years of practicing employment law, I've seen hostile work environment accusations leveled against owners, supervisors, co-workers, subordinates, customers, vendors, and many others.

But accusing a young child of racial discrimination is a new one for me.

In this case, the plaintiff alleged that she was subjected to multiple instances of racial harassment and compelled to resign for good in the summer of 2018 after repeatedly being called the n-word three times by the six-year-old son of a supervisor and the grandson of the company's two owners.

On one occasion, the plaintiff claimed that the child told her, "My daddy called you a lazy ass black (the n-word) because you didn't come to work."

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