Rouch World LLC v. Department of Civil Rights

Summary

The Michigan Supreme Court held that discrimination based on sexual orientation necessarily constitutes discrimination because of sex under the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. Applying the statute’s plain language and its but-for causation standard, the Court concluded that a person’s sex is an inseparable component of sexual orientation and that an individual-focused comparison establishes liability. The Court overruled the contrary intermediate appellate precedent, reversed the Court of Claims in part, and remanded for further proceedings.