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Press Release 05-26-2023

Lacey’s Place to Pay $92,964 to Settle EEOC Pay Discrimination Lawsuit

Gaming Parlor Chain Paid Female Worker Less Than Men and Fired Her for Complaining, Federal Agency Charged

CHICAGO – Lacey’s Place LLC Series Midlothian, doing business as Lacey’s Place, which owns and operates more than 30 video gaming parlors in Illinois, will pay $92,964 and furnish other relief to settle a pay discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to EEOC’s lawsuit, female district managers were paid less than their male coworkers with similar experience and education since at least March 2018. A female manager was also fired in retaliation for complaining about the pay disparity, the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act, which prohibit discrimination based on sex and retaliation. The EEOC filed its suit (Case No. 2:22-cv-02161) in U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to the monetary relief, the four-year consent decree settling the suit requires Lacey’s Place to develop and distribute a written policy against sex-based pay discrimination and retaliation, conduct anti-discrimination training, and conduct a pay equity study of current district manager pay. Lacey’s Place must also post a notice at its worksite about the lawsuit and submit written reports twice a year to the EEOC.

“The Equal Pay Act requires employers to pay male and female workers equally for equal work,” said Gregory Gochanour, the EEOC’s regional attorney in Chicago. “The EEOC will continue to enforce this crucial federal law.”

More information about equal pay is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/equal-paycompensation-discrimination. More information about retaliation is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimin­ation, administrative enforcement and the conduct of agency litigation in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota, with area offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.  Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.