New SCOTUScast: Vance v. Ball State University
by SCOTUScaster
Posted December 13, 2012, 3:08 PM
On November 26, the Supreme Court heard oral argument in Vance v. Ball State University. This case involves Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (a federal anti-discrimination law), and revisits the circumstances under which an employer may be held liable for harassment by its supervisory employees: If the alleged harasser had the authority to direct and oversee the work of the plaintiff--but did not actually have the power to terminate her employment or discipline her formally--can the employer nevertheless be held vicariously liable for the alleged harasser’s misdeeds?
To discuss the case, we have Jason Schwartz, a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher.