An employer can successfully defend a charge of disparate treatment discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by offering a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the action taken regarding the charging party.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is known as the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework, where the burden initially falls on the charging party to establish a prima facie case of discrimination, following which the burden shifts to the employer to provide a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for the action taken. If the employer is able to do so, the burden shifts back to the charging party to prove that the employer's reason was pretextual and that discrimination was the actual motive.

An Employer Can Successfully Defend a Charge of Disparate Treatment