Harrah’s Wins Ruling on Bartenders’ Makeup

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.’s requirement that female bartenders wear makeup at its casinos does not amount to sex discrimination, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday in a split decision.

Lawyers for Harrah’s said the 7-4 ruling against Darlene Jespersen, who was fired in 2000 for refusing to wear makeup after 21 years as a bartender at Harrah’s in Reno, affirms the right of employers to adopt reasonable dress and grooming standards.

The appellate court in San Francisco ruled that Harrah’s policy was no more burdensome on women than on men partly because men were required to cut their hair while women were not, and that while women had to wear makeup, men were prohibited from doing so.