Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson

Mechelle Vinson (plaintiff) was hired at Meritor Savings Bank (defendant) by Sidney Taylor, who became her supervisor and later promoted her to assistant branch manager. After Vinson was fired for excessive sick leave, she sued Meritor and Taylor under Title VII, alleging that Taylor made unwelcome sexual advances shortly after hiring her, that she eventually had sex with him out of fear of losing her job, and that over several years he fondled her in front of coworkers, exposed himself, and forcibly raped her multiple times; she never reported this to Taylor's supervisors or filed a complaint. Taylor denied everything and claimed Vinson's allegations stemmed from a business dispute. The district court found no sex discrimination because Vinson suffered no economic harm and any relationship with Taylor was voluntary; the court of appeals reversed.