Sinclair Broadcast Group to Pay $100,000 in Race Discrimination Case

BALTIMORE – Sinclair Broadcast Group, a nationwide broadcasting company, will pay $100,000 and provide other relief to settle a race discrimination case filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, Sinclair subjected a black female employee, a financial analyst, to unlawful pay discrimination and was constructively discharged because of her race. Despite her strong work performance at the company, she was undercompensated compared to other analysts. When she reported the pay disparity to her manager and to human resources at Sinclair, the company refused to adjust her salary to remedy the unequal pay.

“No worker should be subjected to unequal pay because of their race,” said EEOC Philadelphia District Office Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence. “The EEOC is committed to enforcing Title VII’s prohibition against race discrimination.”

Sinclair’s alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race discrimination. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc., Case No. 1:22-cv-02477) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

The 18-month decree settling the suit, approved July 21, requires Sinclair Broadcast Group to pay $100,000 in back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, and to provide periodic reporting, monitoring, and training to employees to ensure compliance with Title VII. The decree also requires Sinclair to maintain policies stating it does not prohibit employees from discussing or disclosing their pay.

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

The EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. EEOC attorneys in the Philadelphia District also litigate violations of employment laws the agency enforces in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector 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.