EEOC Sues Shepherd Electric Co., Inc., for Race Discrimination and Retaliation

BALTIMORE – Shepherd Electric Co., Inc., a wholesale electrical distributor that operates in the Baltimore/Washington area, violated federal law when it fired two former managers because of their race retaliating for complaining about race-based discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Shepherd Electric discriminated against two Black former managers at the company’s Laurel, Maryland warehouse. The EEOC alleged after one of the former managers complained the company disciplined Black employees more harshly than white employees, he was fired despite his many years of service with outstanding performance. The EEOC further alleged the company discriminated against another former manager when it unlawfully fired him one week after he complained the company paid a significantly higher salary to a newly-hired white employee who performed his same job duties.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race discrimination and retaliating against employees for complaining about such behavior. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Shepherd Electric Co., Inc., Civil Action No. 1:22-cv-02492) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Maryland after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

“Title VII clearly and plainly makes race discrimination unlawful,” said EEOC Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence. “Subjecting employees to unequal terms and conditions of employment, and termination because of the employee's race are abhorrent employment practices that violate Title VII. We will vigilantly work to combat such practices."

“Punishing employees who speak out against discrimination violates federal law,” said Baltimore Field Office Director Rosemarie Rhodes. “The EEOC strives to remedy this illegal conduct through our administrative processes and, when necessary, through litigation.”

The EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office investigates discrimination charges and prosecutes cases arising out of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, parts of New Jersey, Ohio, and Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

More information about race discrimination is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination .  More information about retaliation is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation

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.