Owner of Brandon Denny’s to Pay $45,000 to Settle EEOC National Origin Harassment Lawsuit

TAMPA, Fla. – RREMC, LLC, doing business as Denny’s Restaurant, a Florida-based company and the third-largest Denny’s franchisee in the United States, has agreed to pay $45,000 to settle a national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employ­ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, RREMC violated federal law when a Mexican employee at its Brandon, Florida restaurant was subjected to a hostile work environment based on his national origin, culminating in his termination.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on an employee’s national origin. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Tampa Division (EEOC v. RREMC, LLC d/b/a Denny’s Restaurant, Civil Action No.   , after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The three-year consent decree resolving the EEOC’s lawsuit has been approved by the federal court. In addition to paying $45,000 in monetary relief, RREMC will adopt and distribute a policy prohibiting national origin discrimination and will post a notice to employees regarding the lawsuit. The decree also requires RREMC to provide specialized training to human resources personnel, managers and employees to ensure that employees are aware of their rights and complaint procedures. The decree also mandates RREMC to provide EEOC with reports of any complaints of national origin discrim­ination and describe its actions taken in response to the complaint.

“Federal law is clear that employers are absolutely prohibited from harassing employees based on their national origin,” said EEOC Acting Regional Attorney Beatriz Andre. “The company’s willing­ness to confer with EEOC about the agency’s concerns and its agreement to implement preventative measures and train management and human resources personnel on preventing national origin discrim­ination will benefit its workers and the company.”

Evangeline Hawthorne, director of the EEOC’s Tampa Field Office added, “National origin discrimination continues to be a problem in the workplace. Employers should be aware that EEOC remains vigilant and will continue to enforce violations of national origin discrimination.”

For more information on national origin discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/national-origin-discrimination

The Miami District Office’s jurisdiction includes Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands. Further information is available at www.eeoc.gov.

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.