Lely North America, Inc. to Pay $65,000 to Resolve EEOC Age and Sex Discrimination Investigation

MILWAUKEE — Lely North America, Inc., an international agricultural technology company headquartered in Pella, Iowa, agreed to resolve a discrimination charge filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC’s charge investigation found that Lely violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when it failed to provide a wage increase to a former employee on the basis of sex. The investigation also found that the former employee was harassed and constructively discharged on the basis of age, in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

“Discrimination based on sex and age in the workplace is illegal under federal law,” said Catherine Eschbach, acting EEOC general counsel. “As the federal agency tasked with enforcing equal employment opportunity laws, the EEOC will aggressively pursue all appropriate avenues of relief for victims of discrimination.”

Under the conciliation agreement resolving the charge, the former employee will receive $65,000 in back pay, compensatory damages and attorney’s fees. Lely will train all North American employees, including supervisors, managers and human resources employees about their responsibilities and the rights of employees under Title VII and the ADEA. Lely will also provide compliance-related reporting to the EEOC. The EEOC will monitor compliance with these obligations for the next two years.

For more information on sex-based or age discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination and https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination.

The EEOC’s Chicago District Office has jurisdiction over Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

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 also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.