Security Engineers, Inc. to Pay $1.6 Million in EEOC Sex Discrimination Lawsuit

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Security Engineers, Inc., a contract security solutions provider headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, will pay $1.6 million and provide other relief to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

In its lawsuit, the EEOC charged that Security Engineers engaged in sex discrimination throughout Alabama when the company denied security officer jobs and assignments to a class of women, beginning in at least 2017. The EEOC’s court filings referred to discriminatory directives in the Security Engineers human resources database that said: “DO NOT schedule a female for this post” and “Post is MALE ONLY!” The EEOC also alleged that Security Engineers personnel admitted to some women applicants that they would not be selected for security positions or assignments because of sex. The EEOC’s complaint alleged that Security Engineers maintained a pattern or practice of sex discrimination for several years, denying women security officer opportunities despite their experience in security, law enforcement or the military.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal employment antidiscrimination law enforced by the EEOC. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (EEOC v. Security Engineers, Inc., Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-01213-AMM) alleging Title VII violations and seeking relief for a class of women who were denied security officer employment opportunities because of their sex.

Under the three-year decree resolving the lawsuit, Security Engineers will pay $1.6 million in monetary relief that will be distributed by the EEOC to a class of women who were denied security officer employment opportunities. The decree also prohibits Security Engineers from discriminating based on sex, including prohibiting the company from complying with discriminatory client requests. The settlement further requires that Security Engineers delete all directives not to select, assign or hire women because of sex, and it provides for training, monitoring and reporting. According to the consent decree, hiring decisions for security officer jobs at Security Engineers shall not be based on sex, regardless of site or work location.

“Title VII protects applicants and employees from discrimination based on sex in hiring and job assignments, and the EEOC is committed to enforcing and remedying unlawful sex discrimination,” said EEOC Birmingham District Director Bradley Anderson.

Kate Northrup, an EEOC assistant regional attorney, said, “The work of the EEOC remains critically important to protect civil rights, expand equal opportunity and enforce federal employment antidiscrimination law, including obtaining, through the EEOC’s litigation program, court-ordered injunctive relief and remedies that benefit the public, job seekers and employees.”

The EEOC’s Birmingham District consists of Alabama, Mississippi (except 17 northern counties) and the Florida Panhandle.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.