A federal civil rights agency has dropped a subpoena enforcement action against Nike. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that Nike has complied with its requests for information in an investigation concerning the company’s diversity and inclusion policies.
The motion to dismiss was filed by the EEOC in Missouri federal court. This action comes seven months after the commission sought a court order to compel Nike’s full compliance. As stated in the court documents, Nike provided the requested information and documents from March to August, resolving the matter without further court intervention.
An EEOC spokesperson expressed satisfaction that Nike complied without needing a court order following the subpoena enforcement filing. However, the spokesperson did not offer additional details. Nike declined to comment on the matter.
This situation is part of EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas’ broader campaign against corporate diversity and inclusion policies. The Trump administration claims these policies might discriminate against white men. In addition, the EEOC has initiated a lawsuit against The New York Times for allegedly discriminating against a white editor in favor of a multiracial woman.
The investigation into Nike began with a charge filed by Lucas in May 2024. This charge was not based on any worker’s complaint but was filed by Lucas herself. It alleges discrimination against white employees. The charge referenced Nike’s public data about its mentorship programs and other efforts to enhance diversity, including their goal to achieve 35% representation of racial and ethnic minorities within their corporate workforce by 2025.
The subpoena enforcement against Nike was an unusual glimpse into the EEOC’s investigation process, which usually remains confidential unless it leads to fines, settlements, or legal actions. The EEOC sought data on Nike’s employment decisions over the years, including criteria for layoffs and how the company tracks race and ethnicity data. They also requested information about programs that allegedly had race-based restrictions for mentoring and career development.
It is unclear if Nike has fully met all the EEOC’s data requests. In a February statement, Nike described the court action as an unexpected escalation. They claimed to have handed over thousands of pages of data and were continuing this process. Nike’s court filings criticized the requests as overly broad, deeming them burdensome and akin to a “fishing expedition” for possible evidence of wrongdoing.