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Sensient Natural Ingredients LLC, a producer of dried onions, garlic and vegetable products, violated federal law when it discriminated against workers due to their disabilities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

A Fort Lauderdale, Fla., funeral home violated federal law by subjecting at least five women to sexual harassment and retaliating against two of the women for complaining about it, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.             

According to EEOCís suit, sole owner and manager Albert McWhite subjected female employees to constant egregious sexual harassment, creating a work environment permeated with sexual innuendo, unwanted touching and sexual overtures.  The harassment included showing female employees pictures on his phone of naked women and of himself engaged in sex acts, putting his hand on his crotch and asking a female employee about wanting to take ìcare of her bills,î and touching female employees on the breasts and buttocks.  The lawsuit also alleges that McWhite retaliated against a former employee after she filed an EEOC charge by providing negative references to her prospective employers.   He also allegedly retaliated against another employee after she refused to provide a supportive statement for him in conjunction with an EEOC investigation when he reduced her hours and attempted to tamper with her probation proceedings.

            

Subjecting employees to persistent and egregious sexual comments and conduct because of their sex, and retaliating against those who engage in protected activity to put a stop to such misconduct, violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement.  The lawsuit, EEOC v. McWhite Funeral Home, Inc., (Case No. 0:15-cv-61997 in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida), seeks compensatory and punitive damages for all named claimants and a class of people subjected to the sexually hostile work environment and retaliation, back pay for two of the named claimants, and injunctive relief ordering the company to stop the harassing conduct, among other types of injunctive relief.

            

ìThis case presents horrible sexual harassment and retaliation spearheaded by the companyís sole owner and manager,î said EEOC District Director Ozzie Black.   ìSuch blatant harassment and retaliation is precisely the kind of misconduct EEOC works to

DeHaven's Transfer & Storage, Inc., a residential and commercial moving company, violated federal law when it fired a female employee because she was pregnant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed yesterday.

Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA), a Stamford, Conn.-based division of Nestlé Waters, the world's largest bottled water company, violated federal anti-discrimination law when it refused to promote a highly qualified female employee and then laid her off because of her gender, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed Sept. 21, 2015.

Stack Bros. Mechanical Contractors, Inc. of Superior, Wis., a major heating and plumbing contractor in northern Wisconsin and northern Minnesota, will pay $140,000 and furnish other relief to settle an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

U.S. District Chief Judge Jorge A. Solis issued an order on September 11, 2015, to override a confidential settlement that would have re-directed over half a million dollars away from a class of 32 intellectually disabled former employees of Hill Country Farms, Inc. (HCF), dba Henry's Turkey Service.

QSI Business Solutions, a Dalton, Georgia, staffing and temporary employment agency, violated federal law by refusing to hire or place for employment an applicant after learning that she was pregnant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it recently filed.

VXI Global Solutions, a provider of call center services for major nationwide companies, will pay $600,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

Nationwide healthcare provider Dialysis Clinic, Inc. has agreed to pay $190,000 to a former employee with breast cancer and furnish other relief to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Energy-efficient lighting designer and manufacturer Orion Energy Systems will pay $160,000 and furnish other relief to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. will pay $3.8 million and furnish other relief to resolve charges by a class of women workers that Con Edison subjected them to sexual harassment and/or various forms of sex discrimination, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today.

A San Ysidro, Calif., restaurant which serves Mexican food just north of the U.S.-Mexico border violated federal law by subjecting young, male Mexican-American workers to sexual harassment and then retaliating against them for complaining about it, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed yesterday.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that U.S. District Judge J.P. Stadtmueller has entered a consent decree resolving its litigation against Renaissance School, a voucher school located in Racine, Wis.

An Iraan, Texas oil field construction and services company will pay $30,000 and furnish other relief to settle a retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. 

Sharp HealthCare, an operator of hospitals and medical facilities, violated federal law when it denied hire to a job applicant because it perceived her as disabled, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Mel-K Management Company will pay $80,000 and furnish significant equitable relief to resolve a federal harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

Rental Pro, a miscellaneous equipment rental company located in Somerset, Ky. – with locations also in Hazard, London and Pikeville, Ky. – violated federal law by firing an employee because of his age, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

A New Haven, Mich.-based provider of community health services violated federal law by denying a reasonable accommodation to, firing, and then refusing to rehire a female employee because of her disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Gilbert Foods, LLC, d/b/a Hearn-Kirkwood, a food service distributor, violated federal law when it engaged in a longstanding pattern of sex-based pay discrimination and fired a female worker who complained about being paid less than her male counterparts despite performing equal work, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it announced today.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has won a victory in federal court in Clarksburg, W.V., in its employment discrimination lawsuit against Consolidation Coal Company and its parent company CONSOL Energy, Inc., the federal agency announced today.  On Jan. 15, 2015, a unanimous jury of seven decided that CONSOL Energy, Inc. and Consolidation Coal Company violated federal law when they forced a long-time employee to retire because they refused to accommodate his religious beliefs and awarded $150,000 in compensatory damages. 

In June, the federal court conducted a two-day, non-jury evidentiary hearing to determine lost wages and benefits and injunctive relief, and on Aug. 21, 2015, the federal court issued an order awarding a total of $586,860 in lost wages and benefits and compensatory damages, and permanently enjoining the companies from committing similar acts in the future in violation of Title VII.

Arthur's Restaurant and Bar, a fine dining steakhouse and lounge in Addison, a suburb of Dallas, will pay $20,000 to a former cocktail server to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

Target Corporation, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, has agreed to pay $2.8 million to resolve a Commissioner's charge of discrimination which was investigated in the Minneapolis Area Office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  Based on the investigation, EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that three employment assessments formerly used by Target disproportionately screened out applicants for exempt-level professional positions based on race and sex.  The tests were not sufficiently job-related and consistent with business necessity, and thus violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, EEOC found.  

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC") today announced the settlement of a retaliation lawsuit against Regional Center for Border Health, Inc. ("Regional Center"), a Yuma-area health center.

The Moonshine Group, LLC, owners of the Moonshine Whiskey Bar in Tempe, Ariz., violated federal law by removing a bartender from her duties after discovering she was pregnant, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.