The Meritor Savings Bank V. Vinson case is a landmark case for employee rights in the 20th century and beyond. This case centered on a sexual harassment complaint by Mechelle Vinson against her former employer and boss. Vinson's claim was that she was sexually harassed and forcibly forced into sexual acts with Sidney Taylor, her manager, while working for Meritor Savings Bank. The results of this case helped establish what Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is today. Years before this case existed, lawmakers enacted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under that law, it prohibited actions regarding discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin in employment matters. This act also created the EEOC, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to enforce Title VII. In this case, Taylor, who was the vice president of Meritor Bank, hired Vinson as a teller for Meritor Savings Bank. For Taylor, there was an immediate attraction to Vinson and he sexually pursued her. Vinson began meeting Taylor outside of work and the relationship became sexual in nature. Taylor, being her boss, began showing possessive displays of affection in the workplace in front of applicants and current employees. Taylor then suggested that Vinson apply for a higher-ranking job he supervised. Vinson thought about it, decided to interview, and then got promoted. Taylor and Vinson had many sexual encounters, 40-50 times, over the course of his employment at the bank. Taylor began to become more aggressive with his impromptu flurry of sexual encounters in places like women's restrooms. When Vinson notified Taylor that he had developed a relationship with another male and was beginning to pursue it, Tay… middle of paper… thin. This is exactly what the US Supreme Court did. They defined that a hostile environment exists when unwanted sexual conduct “has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with job performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work environment.” With guidance from the EEOC, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that hostile environment could exist separately from quid pro quo harassment and found Taylor and Meritor Bank guilty. This set the precedent for future sex discrimination cases. Works Citied "Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson." Supreme Court drama. Ed. Elizabeth M. Shaw. UXL-Thomson Gale, 2001. eNotes.com. 2006. March 16, 2011 meritor-saving-bank-v-vinson> Bohlander, George and Scott Snell. Human resources management. 15. Mason, OH: Southwestern Pub, 2009. 98-147. Press.