Louisville Comedy Club Will Pay $372,500 to Conciliate EEOC Sexual Harassment Charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville Comedy Club will pay $372,500 in monetary relief and furnish extensive injunctive relief to resolve a finding of sex discrimination and retaliation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a conciliation agreement, the federal agency announced today.

The conciliation follows an EEOC investigation into charges where the agency found that employees were subjected to sexual harassment by a manager. The investigation also found that the club failed to comply with mandatory federal reporting requirements and failed to post the “Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal” poster.

“We are pleased that Louisville Comedy Club is committed to ensuring that their employees work in an environment free of harassment and to complying with federal reporting requirement,” said Richard Burgamy, acting EEOC Indianapolis District Director. “Recognizing and addressing sexual harassment is critical to maintaining a workplace where employees are treated with dignity and the law is upheld.”

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination, including sexual harassment. Federal law also requires an employer to post a notice describing federal laws prohibiting job discrimination based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age (40 and older), equal pay, disability or genetic information (including family medical history or genetic tests or services), and retaliation for filing a charge, reasonably opposing discrimination, or participating in a discrimination lawsuit, investigation or proceeding.

Under the three-year conciliation agreement settling the charges, Louisville Comedy Club will pay $372,500 in monetary damages. The company also agreed to conduct Title VII training for employees; post an equal employment opportunity non-discrimination notice; distribute anti-discrimination policies, including harassment and retaliation policies; and appoint an equal employment opportunity compliance officer.

For information about sexual harassment and retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment and https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District includes Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan.

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.