SAN FRANCISCO – Nationwide senior care provider Brookdale Senior Living Communities, Inc. will pay $80,000 and provide other relief to settle a retaliation discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, an African American caregiver working at Brookdale’s Auburn, Calif., facility overheard co-workers use a phrase with racial connotations offensive to the caregiver. Soon after the caregiver complained about the comments and