AMX COMPANIES SUED BY EEOC FOR SEX DISCRIMINATION

PRESS RELEASE
9-23-09

Federal Agency Says Owner Fired Driver Because of Gender

BALTIMORE – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that it has filed a sex discrimination lawsuit against a group of related Dallas-based construction contractors, including AMX Communications, LTD, Allcorp Partners Acquisition, Ltd., et al, doing business as AMX Companies & Affiliates, on behalf of a woman who was employed at various AMX Maryland worksites.

According to the suit, Civil Action (09-cv-02483-WDQ), filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division, the EEOC charged that AMX’s owner fired Michelle Tibbs because, he said, she was a “sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to happen” – simply because she is a woman. Until her termination, Tibbs had been employed as a driver/ground hand.

Sex discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The EEOC seeks monetary and injunctive relief, including front and back wages, compensatory and punitive damages, and an injunction enjoining AMX from denying employment to women because of their sex. The agency also seeks the creation of policies and practices which provide equal employment opportunities for women and mandatory training for all managers and employees on the legal prohibitions against employment discrimination, with a special emphasis on gender bias.

“This case shows that gender discrimination continues to permeate employment decisions,” said EEOC Acting Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence. “The EEOC is committed to combating this kind of abuse of basic civil rights.”

According to its web site (www.amxcompanies.com) “AMX was formed in 1996 and has quickly become a leading participant in the environmental and specialty contracting industry.” The companies’ services include “environmental and specialty contracting, Emergency 24/7 HAZMAT cleanup of all kinds, asbestos, mold and lead abatement/remediation, demolition, wireless tower construction, commercial and industrial fire sprinkler, security and fire alarm systems installation and monitoring, drywall and acoustical ceilings, industrial scaffolding installation and leasing, as well as other corporate support functions.”

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the Commission is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

This page was last modified on September 23, 2009.