A former Harley-Davidson supplier diversity manager is taking the Milwaukee motorcycle giant to federal court, accusing the company of sidelining her after it pulled back on diversity, equity and inclusion work.
In a complaint filed June 29 in federal court, the former manager says she was stripped of duties, told to "cease and desist" from business-inclusion work, and cut out of mentoring programs and external events once she raised concerns about Harley-Davidson's move to wind down its DEI and supplier diversity programs. The lawsuit claims discrimination based on race and sex, retaliation for protected activity, and age discrimination.
What the complaint says
According to the filing, the manager warned a vice president that Harley-Davidson's practice of "ghosting" certain community organizations could damage longstanding partnerships and professional relationships. Shortly after, she says she was ordered to stop inclusion-related activities entirely.
The complaint alleges she was reassigned to a generic job title with no clear responsibilities, blocked from attending external diversity events and watching younger white colleagues take on opportunities she was denied. The full federal complaint is publicly available on DocumentCloud, and early coverage of the lawsuit was published by HR Dive.
Company move and backdrop
Harley-Davidson said in 2024 that it had "not operated a DEI function" since April and no longer tracked supplier diversity spending goals. According to the complaint, the alleged adverse actions against the manager began in August 2024, as the company scaled back its DEI and supplier diversity efforts, leaving inclusion staff with sharply reduced roles.
The Milwaukee-based shift and the resulting lawsuit have been covered by the Milwaukee Business Journal. The broader retreat from corporate DEI efforts fits into a national pattern tracked by outlets such as Time, which has noted that many large companies are reassessing or scaling back formal diversity programs.
Legal claims
The plaintiff, identified in reporting as Jennice Samuels, accuses Harley-Davidson of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and state anti-discrimination law. Bloomberg Law reports that the complaint says the company changed her title and duties, cut her out of mentoring programs and offered limited transparency even after she filed an internal complaint.
The lawsuit asks the court for relief under federal and state law, and the filings are now part of the public record.
What comes next
As with most employment cases, the lawsuit is expected to move through discovery, possible settlement talks and, if it gets that far, a trial. Outcomes can range from monetary damages and orders requiring policy changes to outright dismissal.
Harley-Davidson had not responded to requests for comment at the time of early coverage, HR Dive noted, and the full complaint can be reviewed on DocumentCloud.
For Milwaukee's corporate and supplier communities, the suit is an early test of how far a company can rework its public DEI commitments without triggering legal pushback from inside its own ranks. Court filings and any official responses from Harley-Davidson will likely be watched closely by local partners, advocacy groups and other employers rethinking their own inclusion strategies.
