New York Times countersues US employment agency over DEI lawsuit

The lawsuit is among the commission's most high-profile moves so far in a crackdown on workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. The EEOC is also investigating diversity efforts at Nike and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance and has sued a Coca-Cola bottler for excluding men from a networking event.

Trump, a Republican, issued executive orders soon after beginning his second term last year aimed at ending DEI in government, education and the private sector.

Trump is also suing the Times in a $15 billion defamation lawsuit, accusing it of trying to sabotage his 2024 election campaign and disparage his reputation as a businessman.

The Times denied the agency's claims and said its aspirational diversity goals played no role in the company's decision to promote a multiracial woman to a deputy editor position instead of a white man.