EEOC Sues RI International for Hostile Work Environment and Disability Discrimination

JACKSONVILLE, N.C. – Recovery Innovations, Inc., doing business as RI International, an international non-profit behavioral health care provider headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, and doing business in Jacksonville, North Carolina, violated federal law when it allowed a male supervisor to sexually harass and intimidate female employees and when it fired an employee because of her disability, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2021, the company received multiple complaints from female employees that a male shift supervisor was harassing them because of their sex. The supervisor subjected a class of female employees to unwelcome sexual comments and pressured them for hugs, brushed against them, and blocked their paths with his body. The company, which provides residential treatment for behavioral health issues, knew the female employees were particularly vulnerable as it was a requirement of employment that certain employees had experienced requiring mental health and/or substance use services. Yet the complaints were dismissed, and the company failed to take action to protect these vulnerable females, the EEOC said.

Additionally, in January 2022, the company refused to allow an employee to have sufficient leave to seek treatment for her disability. Rather than accommodate the employee, the company fired her. The employee was told the maximum time the company allows for leave under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is 30 days and that she could reapply once she was cleared to return to work.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits harassment based on sex, and violates the ADA, which requires reasonable accommodations for disabilities and protects employees from adverse treatment because of a disability. The EEOC filed suit on behalf of the employee who was refused reasonable accommodation and a class of female employees who were subjected to sexual harassment (EEOC v. Recovery Innovations, Inc. d/b/a RI International, Case No. 7:25-cv-00767-BO) in U.S. District Court for the District for the Eastern District of North Carolina after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

“When employers become aware that employees are subjected to hostile working conditions based on their sex, Title VII requires them to take action to end the harassment and prevent such conduct from recurring in the future,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District. “Effective procedures for receiving and addressing such complaints, along with proper training, are valuable tools to help employers remain in compliance with the law.”

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

The EEOC’s Charlotte District is charged with enforcing federal employment anti-discrimination laws in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. 

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.