Robinson v. Shell Oil Company
Encyclopedia
In 1997, the U.S. Supreme Court
in a unanimous decision ruled that under Federal law, U.S. employers must not write bad job references, or otherwise retaliate against former employees as a punishment for filing job discrimination complaints. The case involved a former Shell employee, Charles T. Robinson, who claimed Shell Oil Company
fired him from his sales job because he is black. While his race discrimination lawsuit was pending, Robinson applied for a job with another company who contacted Shell seeking a reference. Shell gave Robinson an unfavourable rating and said it would not rehire him. According to an article published by The Washington Post in February 1997 , The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
submitted a "friend of the court" brief, saying that if former employees were not protected, they "would be chilled from taking action to report or oppose discrimination." The article went on to say that the Court agreed with the view expressed by the EEOC. Justice Clarence Thomas
wrote for the court, "EEOC quite persuasively maintains that it would be destructive to [the purposes of anti-bias law] for an employer to be able to retaliate with impunity." Robinson eventually lost his original race discrimination case against Shell Oil Company.
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in a unanimous decision ruled that under Federal law, U.S. employers must not write bad job references, or otherwise retaliate against former employees as a punishment for filing job discrimination complaints. The case involved a former Shell employee, Charles T. Robinson, who claimed Shell Oil Company
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
fired him from his sales job because he is black. While his race discrimination lawsuit was pending, Robinson applied for a job with another company who contacted Shell seeking a reference. Shell gave Robinson an unfavourable rating and said it would not rehire him. According to an article published by The Washington Post in February 1997 , The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is an independent federal law enforcement agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination complaints based on an individual's race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, perceived intelligence,...
submitted a "friend of the court" brief, saying that if former employees were not protected, they "would be chilled from taking action to report or oppose discrimination." The article went on to say that the Court agreed with the view expressed by the EEOC. Justice Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
wrote for the court, "EEOC quite persuasively maintains that it would be destructive to [the purposes of anti-bias law] for an employer to be able to retaliate with impunity." Robinson eventually lost his original race discrimination case against Shell Oil Company.