LITTLE RIVER GOLF TO PAY $44,700 TO SETTLE EEOC RACE AND NATIONAL ORIGIN DISCRIMINATION SUIT

Company Fired African American Housekeepers and Replaced Them With Hispanics, Federal Agency Charged

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. – A Pinehurst, N.C.-based support services company  for condo­minium complexes and resorts will pay $44,700 and furnish significant  remedial relief to settle a race and national origin discrimination lawsuit  filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency  announced today. The EEOC had charged  that Little River Golf, Inc. unlawfully discharged six employees because of  their race (African American) and national origin (non-Hispanic).

According  to the EEOC, the discriminatory discharges occurred in September 2005, when Little  River Golf operated a housekeeping service for condominiums in the Pinehurst area. The EEOC alleges that the company terminated Mary  Wharton, Sharon Martin, Linda Bowden, Stefen Smith, Alex Martin and Kenneth  Tillman under the guise of a layoff. After  they were discharged, they were all immediately replaced by Hispanic workers. Little River no longer operates its house­keeping  service.

Race  and national origin discrimination violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of  1964. The EEOC filed suit after first  attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.

In addition to the $44,700 in monetary damages to be  shared by the discharged employees, the consent decree resolving the case (EEOC v. Little River Golf, Inc., Case  No. 1:08CV00546, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of  North Carolina, Rockingham Division) includes prospective injunctive relief, in  the event Little River Golf commences operations in the future. The injunctive relief enjoins the company from  discriminating on the basis of race, national origin or any other protected  category, or engaging in retaliation within the meaning of Title VII. The decree also requires the adoption of an  anti-discrimination policy; anti-discrimination training; the posting of a  notice about the settlement; and reports to the EEOC.

“This  case represents the unfortunate reality that some employers are willing to  discriminate against one racial or cultural group in favor of another,” said  Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District  office. “Employers must remember that  people of all races and colors are entitled to equal treatment in the  workplace. The EEOC will continue to  prosecute cases like this.”

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment  discrimination. Further information  about the EEOC is available at its website at www.eeoc.gov.