William has worked at a clothing store for six months and has received good performance reviews from his manager. Two weeks ago, William's girlfriend stopped by the store. Since then, the manager has been watching William closely. Today, the manager fired William, explaining that sales were down. A co-worker told William that the manager was looking for a reason to fire William because the manager disapproved of his interracial relationship. William is White and his girlfriend is African-American. Is this treatment illegal?
- Yes. The manager illegally discriminated against William if she fired him based on his interracial relationship.
- No. The manager may have disapproved of William's interracial relationship, but she did not fire William until two weeks after meeting his girlfriend. If the manager had fired William the day after meeting his girlfriend, then the firing may have been illegal.
- No. Sales are down, and the manager has the right to fire any employee she chooses.
- Yes, but William must hire a lawyer, and must pay the EEOC to hear and decide the case.