A White male plaintiff has sued financial services firm Edward Jones over its “Goodknight” program, which allegedly incentivizes financial advisors to transition clients to female or other “diverse” advisors. The plaintiff in Winter v. Edward D. Jones & Co. claims that the company diversity program violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. According to the plaintiff, the program creates a disadvantage to him and other straight White male employees.
In response to a fourth amended complaint, which now identifies all White financial advisors (FAs) as part of its proposed class, Edward Jones pointed out that the plaintiff is attempting to include White female FAs even though they also are beneficiaries of the program. The company characterizes this allegation as an “irreconcilable” conflict.
The Edward Jones proposed class action lawsuit is only one of several so-called “reverse discrimination” lawsuits. In recent months, plaintiffs have sued companies such as 3M, Accenture, Clorox, IBM, Paramount, and Warner Bros., typically targeting company diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. Some believe the suits are a direct result of President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive orders and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) enforcement of them, including a recent suit against The New York Times by a White male editor.
Ironically, despite the allegations in the Winter case, Black FAs also filed suit against Edward Jones. Those plaintiffs claimed that they were paid less than their White counterparts.
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