Employer Wins Dreadlocks Deadlock

A federal appeals court recently ruled that a woman rejected from a job because she refused to cut her dreadlocks could not proceed with a race discrimination claim against the employer. The decision highlights the distinction between individual expression and inherently racial characteristics in the context of race discrimination claims under Title VII.

Here are three things you need to know about the September 15, 2016 decision in EEOC v. Catastrophe Management Solutions.

1. Title VII Does Not Cover Individual Expression

The facts of the case are fairly straightforward. Chastity Jones applied for a customer service position with Catastrophe Management Solutions (CMS), a Mobile, Alabama claims processing company. Jones, who is black, was initially told that she had been hired pending standard background tests.