Crawford v. Metropolitan Government
United States Supreme Court
129 S. Ct. 846 (2009)
During Metro's (defendant) internal investigation into alleged sexual harassment by an employee-relations director, a human-resources officer questioned Crawford (plaintiff) about whether she had witnessed misconduct, and Crawford responded by detailing instances in which the director had sexually harassed her; Metro later fired Crawford for alleged embezzlement, and she sued claiming her termination was actually retaliation for her statements during the investigation. The district court and court of appeals ruled for Metro, reasoning Crawford hadn't personally initiated any complaint.
Whether an employee is required to oppose discrimination on the employee's own initiative in order to enjoy protection against employer retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.