In today's workplace, managers are well-advised not to treat Bill O'Reilly as a household deity. One would think this goes without saying, but in Murphy v. Hotwire Communications, No. 2:19-cv-5901, 2020 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78695 (E.D. Pa. May 5, 2020), the court considered this and other colorful facts when denying defendant Hotwire's motion to dismiss, finding that former employee Loretta Murphy had stated viable claims for hostile-work-environment sex discrimination, age discrimination and retaliation.

Exclusionary Treatment and Unanswered Complaint

Hotwire hired Murphy as an assistant general counsel in 2007. Shortly after Murphy joined Hotwire, her supervisor—General Counsel Jonathan Bullock—allegedly began showing bias and favoritism toward the male attorneys on his team, excluding Murphy from invitations to team meals and meetings.