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Orrington Firm Subjected Employees to Sexual Advances and Scientology Indoctrination and Fired Those Who Complained, Federal Agency Charged

CHICAGO – A Chicago dental practice will pay $462,500 to settle a class sexual and religious harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In its lawsuit, the EEOC alleged that James L. Orrington, D.M.D., Ltd. discriminated against 18 employees by

Universal Agreement in Florida Covers 56 'Old Country Store' Locations Statewide

TAMPA – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Cracker Barrel) today announced the signing of a Universal Agreement to Mediate (UAM) to informally resolve workplace disputes through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) prior to an EEOC investigation or potential litigation.  The UAM applies to 56 Cracker Barrel establishments throughout Florida.

EEOC Says Three Women Subjected to Vulgar Sexual Comments, Unwanted Touching, Propositioning

SEATTLE – Fred Meyer Stores, Inc. (Fred Meyer) will  pay $485,000 to three female victims of sexual harassment and retaliation to  settle a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  (EEOC), the EEOC announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit (EEOC, et. al. v. Fred Meyer Stores, Inc. No. CV08-0208 HA, United States District Court of Oregon), the company’s

Federal Agency Charged Cell Phone Refurbishing Company With Paying Hispanic Workers Less Than Others and Firing Employees Who Complained

NEW YORK – A New York-based  company that refurbishes cell phones at its factory in Long  Island will pay $435,000 to settle a wage discrimination and  retaliation suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC),  the agency announced today.

The EEOC  had charged that First Wireless Group, Inc. engaged in a pattern or

EEOC Settles Suit for Young Men Who Were Sexually Abused

SEATTLE - Hotel giant WorldMark by Wyndham will pay $370,000 and furnish significant remedial relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.  The EEOC had charged that the company failed to stop the manager of its Birch Bay Resort in Blaine, Wash., from sexually harassing young male employees.

According to the

EEOC Says County Attempted to Force Out Senior Marine Bureau Police Officers

NEW YORK - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that Nassau County on Long Island will pay $450,000 and agree to significant injunctive relief to settle an age discrimination lawsuit on behalf of several police officers in the Marine Bureau. 

In its lawsuit, the EEOC asserted that Nassau County discriminated against

WASHINGTON – Peggy R. Mastroianni, Associate Legal Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), has received the "Mary C. Lawton Outstanding Government Service Award for 2008" from the American Bar Association (ABA), the EEOC announced today.

Mastroianni was selected for the award by the ABA's Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice.  The distinguished award recognizes government lawyers at the federal and state levels for outstanding contributions to the development, implementation, or improvement

EEOC Says Retail Giant Requires Employees to Reveal Confidential Medical Information

SAN DIEGO – Dillard Store Services, Inc.  (Dillard’s), the nationwide chain of department stores, unlawfully discrimin­ates  against employees by requiring them to disclose personal and confidential  medical information or face disciplinary action including termination, the U.S.  Equal Employ­ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges in a class lawsuit  filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The EEOC states in the litigation  that the Dillard’s

Federal Complaints and Processing Times Down; Government Diversity Improves

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today released the Annual Report on the Federal Work Force for Fiscal Year (FY) 2007, covering October 2006 through September 2007.  The comprehensive report, which informs and advises the President and the Congress on the state of equal employment opportunity (EEO) government-wide, is available on the agency's web site at

Ninth Circuit Court Affirms Latina Farm Worker's Jury Award of Over $1 Million

SAN FRANCISCO  – The United States Court of  Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has affirmed the judgment on a jury verdict in  favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and farm  worker Olivia Tamayo in a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against  Coalinga, Calif.-based Harris  Farms, one of the largest integrated farming operations in the Central San

Retail Giant Refused to Hire Man With Cerebral Palsy, Federal Agency Charged

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Wal-Mart  Stores, Inc. will pay $300,000 to a Hardin, Mo., man to settle a disability  discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity  Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In its suit, the EEOC alleged that Wal-Mart refused to  hire Steve Bradley, who has cerebral palsy and uses crutches or a wheelchair  for

Agency Charged That Fort Wayne Company Denied Referrals Based on Age and Race, Retaliated Against Employees Who Objected to Discriminatory Practices

INDIANAPOLIS – A Fort Wayne staffing company will settle an age, race and retaliation discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.  The company will pay a total of $580,000 and will also pay up to $5,000 in settlement administrative expenses.

BALTIMORE – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the settlement of its age discrimination lawsuit against Lockheed Martin Global Telecommunications for $773,000 for a class of eight older employees.

In its suit (05-cv-00287-RWT), filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Southern Division, the EEOC charged that the Bethesda, Md.-based employer violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) when it discriminated against the employees, ages

Discrimination Charges Highest in Five Years; Agency Obtains $345 Million for Victims

WASHINGTON  – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received a total of  82,792 private sector discrimination charge filings last fiscal year, the  highest volume of incoming charges since 2002 and the largest annual increase  (9%) since the early 1990s, the agency reported today as part of its Fiscal  Year 2007 enforcement and litigation statistics. The data, available online

EEOC Says 19 Year-Old Propositioned by Owner, Kept Against Her Will During Car Ride

HOUSTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today that a federal district court jury returned a verdict yesterday for the EEOC in the amount of $110,000 against a Houston dry cleaner for sexual harassment.  The EEOC had charged that the owner of Bellair Cleaners, Inc., doing business as Park Avenue Cleaners, Bellair Cleaners, and Your Valet (Park Avenue

Sheet Metal Workers' Local 28 Discriminated Against Blacks and Hispanics for Years, Suit Says

NEW YORK – A federal court has granted final approval for a $6.2 million partial settlement for black and Hispanic sheet metal workers who suffered discrimination by their union, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today. 

The EEOC and the State and City of New York, along with the Lawyers' Committee for Civil

EEOC Says African American Electrician Subjected to 'N-Word' and Threats of Lynching at Worksites Across the Country

HONOLULU -- The  U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced a major settlement  of a race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit against Lockheed  Martin, the world’s largest military contractor, for  $2,500,000 and other relief on behalf of an African American electrician who  was subjected to a racially hostile work environment at several job sites  nationwide – including threats

Implementation of Final Rule Ensures Age Bias Law is No Barrier to Employer Insurance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the publication of a final rule allowing employers that provide retiree health benefits to continue the longstanding practice of coordinating those benefits with Medicare (or comparable state health benefits) without violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). The regulation, which safeguards retiree health benefits, was published in today's Federal

Agency Highlights 'Best Practices' for Employers to Prevent Job Discrimination

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today issued an extensive fact sheet on the application of federal anti-discrimination laws to employer tests and other selection procedures to screen applicants for hire and employees for promotion.  The new technical assistance document is available on the agency's web site at http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/factemployment_procedures.html

The fact sheet describes common types of employer administered tests and selection procedures

Blackwood Becomes Second EEOC Attorney to Receive ABA Honor

WASHINGTON -- Vincent Blackwood, Assistant General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will receive the "Federal Labor and Employment Attorney of the Year" award from the American Bar Association (ABA).

Blackwood was selected for the award by the ABA's Labor and Employment Law Section.  This distinguished award recognizes a federal attorney whose professional achievements exemplify excellence of legal work in

Law Firm Partners Brought Within Protection of Federal Law Against Employment Discrimination

CHICAGO – The international law firm of Sidley Austin LLP will pay $27.5 million to 32 former partners who the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged were forced out of the partnership because of their age, under a consent decree approved by a federal judge. (EEOC v. Sidley Austin LLP, N.D. Illinois No. 05 C 0208.)

The EEOC brought the suit in

EEOC Settles Suit Charging Male Former Regional Vice President With Victimizing Male Former Senior Accounts Executive

MIAMI  – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that United  HealthCare of Florida, Inc. will pay $1.8 million to settle a same-sex harassment  and retaliation lawsuit charging that the male former regional vice president  of key accounts subjected a male former top senior account executive to  repeated verbal sexual harassment in Sunrise, Fla.

Five Employers Honored for Programs Promoting Access and Inclusion

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today presented the agency's third annual "Freedom to Compete Award" to five employers from the private and public sectors for best practices that promote access and inclusion.

The award recipients include a leading internationally recognized hospital center, a non-profit health care provider, a major bureau of a Cabinet-level agency, a

WASHINGTON – Naomi C. Earp, Chair of the  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), will present the third  annual “Freedom to Compete Award” recognizing employers and organizations for  initiatives that promote fair and open competition in the workplace. Five awards will be presented during a ceremony  on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 10:30 a.m.,  EEOC Headquarters, 1801 L Street,    N.W.

The  awards presentation is part of the EEOC’s Freedom to Compete Initiative