Employer Solutions pays $95,000 settlement
A Minnesota payroll service company paid $95,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) after firing an employee returning from approved medical leave. The woman had knee surgery and notified the company she would be returning but needed to use crutches. The company fired her because they asserted she needed to be 100% healed and her need for "ambulatory aide" was too much.
This stance violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which makes it unlawful to terminate or discriminate against those with disabilities or perceived disabilities. Furthermore, the ADA protects employees from retaliation for requesting an accommodation or opposing discrimination.
TrueBlue and PeopleReady to pay $125,000 settlement
TrueBlue and PeopleReady are labor sourcing companies that have a presence across the U.S. The EEOC filed a lawsuit alleging the PeopleReady subsidiary company TrueBlue fired an employee because of a psychiatric disability. She was not allowed to return to work after a medical clearance following hospitalization for her disability. She was subsequently fired because she would require future treatment in outpatient medical settings.
The employer's actions violated the ADA, which requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities and prohibits taking retaliatory measures against individuals who need special accommodations for their disability.
Hyde Bellagio to pay $1 million settlement
Hyde Bellagio, a former Las Vegas night club will pay out $1 million to settle an EEOC charge that the club subjected women applicants and employees to sexual harassment resulting in a hostile workplace. The company is further charged with unlawful retaliation towards workers that complained of the harassment. In addition to the financial settlement, the company has agreed to establish a class fund to award compensation to victims of their illegal practices.
AEON Global Health to pay $56,000 settlement
Another EEOC charge will see AEON Global Health pay out $56,000 in a lawsuit alleging a female supervisor subjected an African American female subordinate to daily race and sex-based verbal harassment. When she complained to upper-level executives, she was subjected to more of the same abuse and then fired. The company will pay the monetary damages to the victim and has agreed to invest in internal monitoring and training concerning discrimination.
Route 22 Sports Bar and Crazy Mexican Restaurant & Grill to pay $217,500 settlement
The husband of one of the owners of the two bars regularly subjected female staff to unwanted touching, solicitation of sexual acts, and verbal harassment. Other male staff partook in the same kind of unwanted sexual harassment. When a female bartender complained, she was then fired. The EEOC's lawsuit says this kind of conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As part of the settlement, the owner's male spouse is prohibited from holding any supervisory position and having any kind of direct contact with employees of both businesses.
Chicago Meat Authority to pay $1.1 million settlement
According to the EEOC, the Chicago Meat Authority practices discriminatory hiring practices affecting African American applicants. Black workers were subjected to racial harassment. When one Black employee complained about the illegal practices, he was fired in retaliation. As part of the settlement, the company is mandated to hire rejected applicants if they still wish to have a job at the meat processing business and implement anti-harassment training and policies.
Chipolte Mexican Grill to pay $70,000 in settlement
According to a female Chipolte supervisor in Tampa, Florida, she was sexually harassed by a male crew member, which escalated to inappropriate touching and obscene gestures. After complaining to immediate supervisors, she said she was going to take it to corporate headquarters. Three days later, she was fired. These kinds of actions are prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition to paying monetary damages, Chipotle is required to institute new sexual harassment reporting policies and procedures.
Wimmer v. Suffolk County Police Department
In this case, the plaintiff was a police officer who claimed he had been fired illegally after making complaints about other officers engaging in racist behavior towards the public. The plaintiff did not win his case because the court noted that he or other employees did not suffer discrimination with regards to the terms and conditions of their employment. To make the case successful, the plaintiff would have had to make complaints about racism towards himself or another employee of the police department, not the public, which is a third party. If he had done so, that would have been a protected activity, and the subsequent firing could have possibly been surmised as retaliatory in nature.