Bigfoot Energy Services and Iron Mountain Energy to Pay $697,500 in EEOC Race and Sex Harassment Suit

NEW ORLEANS – Oil field service companies Bigfoot Energy Services and Iron Mountain Energy, who operated as a single employer, will pay $697,500 and provide other equitable relief to settle a lawsuit alleging race- and sex-based harassment and retaliation brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the companies’ employees, including management, frequently used the “n-word” and other racially derogatory terms when referring to black employees. Additionally, the companies failed to remedy the conduct of male employees who frequently engaged in sexually demeaning conduct, including sharing demeaning pornographic images of women and making sexually offensive comments. The day after a male truck driver complained about the sexually harassing conduct, he was fired. Other drivers were fired within days of complaining about workplace use of the “n-word,” the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race and sex discrimination, including race- and sex-based harassment, and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Bigfoot Energy Services, LLC, et al., Case No. 24-2361) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

In addition to the monetary relief paid to affected workers, the three-year consent decree settling the suit requires the companies to implement harassment and retaliation policies; train employees and managers on Title VII, sex- and race-based harassment, and retaliation; and regularly report to the EEOC on their training, policy modifications and complaints of discrimination.

“Effective training, anti-discrimination policies, and pathways for complaining about discrimination without retaliation are essential for providing a workplace free of harassment and discrimination,” said EEOC Houston District Office Regional Attorney Rudy Sustaita. 

EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Elizabeth Owen said, “Trucking and oil field service companies—like all industries—have a legal duty to ensure that their workplaces are not filled with racially and sexually offensive language. The EEOC is committed to holding accountable those companies who fail to comply with anti-discrimination law.”

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

For more information on race and color discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination.

The lawsuit was initiated by the EEOC’s New Orleans Field Office, which is part of the EEOC’s Houston District. The Houston District has jurisdiction over Louisiana and parts of Texas.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.