EEOC Sues Profile Cabinet for Discrimination  Against Black Employees

Termination of Employees Violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Federal Agency Says

ST. LOUIS -- QWP Holdings, LLC, dba Profile Cabinet and Design, a Kansas City, Mo., company which designs, builds and sells custom cabinetry and countertops, violated federal law by discriminating against two black employees because of their race, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to EEOC's lawsuit, Profile Cabinet and Design fired Brandon Fitzpatrick and Theopilis Bryant, who are African-Americans, on the same day in 2013. The company stated that it fired Fitzpatrick and Bryant for allegedly falsifying Bryant's time card. But a third employee, who was white, was not fired even though there was evidence that the white employee may have been the one responsible for the time card issue. The agency charged that Profile Cabinet and Design actually fired Fitzpatrick and Bryant because of their race.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race discrimination in employment. EEOC filed its lawsuit (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v.QWP Holdings, LLC, dba Profile Cabinet and Design., Civil Action No. 4:16-cv-925) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, in Kansas City, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. EEOC seeks monetary relief and an order requiring QWP Holdings to implement policies and practices to prevent future discrimination.

"EEOC is committed to eliminating race discrimination in employment," said James R. Neely, Jr., director of EEOC's St. Louis District Office. "Employees cannot be held to different disciplinary standards based on their race."

Andrea G. Baran, EEOC's regional attorney in St. Louis, said, "Despite over 50 years of federal protections for black workers, race discrimination in employment remains a problem. EEOC treats these complaints seriously and will take the steps necessary - including going to court - to fight race discrimination in the workplace."

EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. The St. Louis District Office oversees Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and a portion of southern Illinois. Further information about EEOC is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov.