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SEATTLE – Target Market Enterprises, Inc. (TME), a franchise owner of Little Caesars restaurants in Western Washington, violated federal law when it allowed employees to use derogatory terms targeting African American employees at its Mount Vernon, Washington location, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit filed on Sept. 30, TME was aware of, but failed to stop employees from using racial slurs targeting African

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – In a settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), UT-Battelle, LLC (UT-Battelle) agreed to pay more than $2.8 million in monetary relief to a class of employees.

As a result of its investigation, the EEOC found reasonable cause to believe that UT-Battelle discriminated against a class of employees based on their sincerely held religious beliefs by denying them a religious accommodation involving the organization’s COVID-19 vaccine policy. Such alleged conduct

MOBILE, Ala. – Bollinger Shipyards, LLC, a provider of marine construction, repair and conversion services employing more than 300 workers at 10 shipyards located across the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, violated federal law by excluding an employee from work because she used a prescription medication to treat opioid dependency, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

The EEOC charged that Bollinger placed the worker on involuntary indefinite unpaid leave

MOBILE, Ala. – Cosmos, a restaurant in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi operated by Smoke BBQ LLC, violated federal law by firing a server because of her pregnancy, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

The EEOC’s suit charged that in November 2023, the server told her colleagues about her pregnancy shortly after she started working at the restaurant. The next day, after Cosmos managers heard about her pregnancy, she

SEATTLE – Logic Staffing, a Washington-based staffing and recruiting agency, agreed to pay $217,500 after failing to hire a Muslim job applicant after he asked about a religious accommodation to attend Friday prayer. The company also agreed to provide other relief, resolving a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC's suit, Logic Staffing invited the applicant to interview at its Kent, Washington, headquarters

MOBILE, Ala. – Ground Zero Biloxi LLC, which operates a blues club located in Biloxi, Mississippi, violated federal law by subjecting an assistant manager to sexual harassment by one of its co-owners and firing the worker for complaining about the co-owner’s harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

The EEOC charged that one of the blues club’s co-owners subjected the assistant manager to a campaign of sexual harassment

SEATTLE – Homes Direct of Oregon, LLC, a manufactured and modular homes dealer with thirteen locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico, has signed a conciliation agreement resolving a charge of disability discrimination and retaliation filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC, a housing consultant for Homes Direct in Albany, Oregon, alleged that three days after a request for a schedule change related

SEATTLE – Jetro Holdings, LLC, a wholesale food service supplier operating under the name Restaurant Depot in Fife, Washington, has agreed to institute sweeping changes to its internal complaint procedures and implement trainings for its facilities in the state of Washington to resolve a sexual harassment complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC, a former employee alleged that during the year prior to her

LONGVIEW, Wash. – Total Employment and Management (TEAM), a staffing agency based in Moses Lake, Washington, violated the law by refusing to comply with the terms of a conciliation agreement regarding a classwide national origin discrimination finding, according to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on Sept. 26.

According to the lawsuit, TEAM participated in EEOC conciliation, a process to resolve charges informally before litigation, and agreed to resolve

SEATTLE – Logic Staffing, a Washington-based staffing and recruiting agency, violated federal law when it rejected a qualified job applicant who asked for a religious accommodation to attend Friday prayer, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleged in a lawsuit filed on September 30, 2024.

According to the EEOC's suit, Logic Staffing invited the applicant to interview at its Kent, Washington, headquarters the day after receiving his online application. On the strength of his

SEATTLE – A building supply company doing business as Builders FirstSource north of the Seattle area violated federal law when it terminated a qualified worker’s assignment because of his age and the assumption that he had a physical impairment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed Monday.

Assigned by a third-party staffing company, the 67-year-old worker reported for his first day of work as an assembler at Builders FirstSource’s truss

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Berry Global, Inc., a Fortune 500 leader in plastic packaging products, and Hospital Housing Systems, LLC (HHS), a provider of essential services to health care facilities, violated federal employment law when both companies unlawfully terminated employees because of their disabilities, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in separate lawsuits filed yesterday.

According to the EEOC, Berry Global violated federal law by forcing a disabled employee to take leave under the

TACOMA, Wash. – Boxlight Inc., an education technology company headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, agreed to provide injunctive and other relief to a female manager following a pay discrimination investigation conducted by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

In her charge, the complainant alleged that over a period of several years, she was paid less than her male counterparts despite having duties requiring substantially equal skill, effort, responsibility and working

SEATTLE — SmartTalent, LLC, a Kirkland, Wash.-based staffing agency that places temporary employees with business clients across various industries, will pay $875,000 and provide other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sex discrimination lawsuit, the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC lawsuit charged that SmartTalent engaged in a pattern of discrimination against women in hiring and job assignments since at least 2015. When the staffing agency received requests for male workers

MOBILE, Ala.  – Hank’s Furniture, Inc. (HFI), a nationwide furniture retailer, will pay $110,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, a former assistant manager at HFI’s Pensacola, Florida, location notified the company that her religious beliefs prevented her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than discuss the employee’s religious beliefs to determine the

RICHLAND, Wash. – Fred Meyer Stores, Inc., a subsidiary of national supermarket chain Kroger, violated federal law when it allowed a male employee to sexually harass multiple female employees over a period of years despite repeated complaints about his unlawful behavior, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the lawsuit, since at least 2017, a male employee at the Richland, Washington, location repeatedly subjected his female coworkers

MOBILE, Ala. and CHICAGO – Harmony Hospitality LLC, which operates a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Dothan, Alabama, and LAS Hardwoods, a hardwood flooring company in the Chicago area, violated federal civil rights law when they each discriminated against an employee because of his sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or failure to adhere to gender stereotypes, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in two separate lawsuits filed today.

According to the Alabama lawsuit

SEATTLE – Columbia River Healthcare Inc., a nursing facility in Vancouver, Washington, that operates under the name The Oaks at Timberline, has agreed to provide monetary and injunctive relief to a former supervisor following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. 

In a charge filed with EEOC, the former supervisor alleged that after disclosing their gender identity and pronouns to their employer, managers and staff persisted in repeatedly

SEATTLE – The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has agreed to pay $57,577 in compensatory damages and back pay and provide other injunctive relief following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In the charge, a former employee alleged that he was terminated five days after disclosing his disability and discussing a potential need for a related accommodation with his employer. The EEOC’s investigation found reasonable cause

GLASGOW, Mont. – NorVal Electric Cooperative, Inc., a utility serving Northeast Montana, agreed to pay $50,000 to a former employee and provide other injunctive relief to resolve a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, NorVal’s office manager faced unwelcome sexual comments and physical touching from her direct supervisor, the utility’s then-general manager. The conduct escalated during a

EVERETT, Wash. – Restaurant chain Red Robin International, Inc. agreed to pay $600,000 to four former employees and provide other injunctive relief to resolve a sexual harassment, retaliation and constructive discharge lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a 45-year-old male line cook at Red Robin’s Everett, Washington restaurant was allowed to sexually harass female employees on a daily basis with offensive

SEATTLE – Passages Family Support, a non-profit organization with a clinic in Spokane, Washington, has agreed to pay $95,000 and provide other injunctive relief following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

A former employee who worked as a mental health therapist alleged that she requested a job-related accommodation for a religious belief that conflicted with a stated requirement of her position. The EEOC’s investigation found that, despite

SEATTLE – Seattle Children’s Hospital has agreed to pay $125,000 in compensatory damages and back pay to a former employee and provide other injunctive relief following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. 

The EEOC’s investigation found evidence supporting a nurse’s allegations that she had been subjected to sexual harassment, including unwelcome sexual comments, and a sexually charged atmosphere at work over a three-month period. The investigation also

SAMMAMISH, Wash. — Chipotle has agreed to pay $400,000 to three former crew members at its Sammamish, Washington, restaurant location, and will provide other relief to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Chipotle permitted the three young crew members, including one who was only 17 years old at the time, to be harassed by their 29-year old