Newsroom

TRENTON, N.J. – Hatzel & Buehler, Inc., a commercial electrical contractor with branch locations in eight states and the District of Columbia, will pay $500,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against the company’s New Jersey branch, the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since at least November 2020, the vice president of Hatzel & Buehler’s New Jersey branch engaged in age discriminatory

OAKLAND, Calif. – Fremont-based contractor Superior Automatic Sprinkler Company has agreed to provide monetary and injunctive relief to a construction worker following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. 

The worker, who is openly transgender and identifies as queer, filed a charge with EEOC alleging his supervisors and coworkers targeted him with verbal harassment and physical threats due to his gender identity and sexual orientation. He also alleged

MOBILE, Ala.  – Hank’s Furniture, Inc. (HFI), a nationwide furniture retailer, will pay $110,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, a former assistant manager at HFI’s Pensacola, Florida, location notified the company that her religious beliefs prevented her from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Rather than discuss the employee’s religious beliefs to determine the

RICHLAND, Wash. – Fred Meyer Stores, Inc., a subsidiary of national supermarket chain Kroger, violated federal law when it allowed a male employee to sexually harass multiple female employees over a period of years despite repeated complaints about his unlawful behavior, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the lawsuit, since at least 2017, a male employee at the Richland, Washington, location repeatedly subjected his female coworkers

ST. LOUIS – Dollar General Stores will pay $295,000 and furnish other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) age discrimination, harassment, and retaliation lawsuit, the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, from July 2016 until January 2018, a newly hired Dollar General regional director in Oklahoma harassed district managers who were in their 50s and older by calling them “grumpy old men,” telling them he was building “a millennial

SAN ANTONIO – Altman Specialty Plants, LLC, the largest horticultural grower in the United States, will pay $172,000 in monetary relief and furnish extensive injunctive relief to resolve a finding of sex discrimination and retaliation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in a conciliation agreement, the federal agency announced today.

The conciliation follows an EEOC investigation into charges where EEOC found that an Altman supervisor subjected female employees to sexual harassment and a

DEARBORN, Mich. – Beaumont Health (now Corewell Health) will pay $30,000 and furnish other relief to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Beaumont terminated a Black home health aide after an unwitnessed verbal conflict with a white co-worker about a dishwasher. Afterwards, both employees discussed the incident with the director. Despite the existence of a progressive discipline

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced today the selection of Melinda Caraballo as the new director of agency’s Phoenix district, with offices in Albuquerque, Denver, and Phoenix.

Originally from Waukesha, Wisconsin, Caraballo has served as the deputy director of the Phoenix District Office, a position she held since 2018, and was named acting district director in 2022.

“Melinda Caraballo leads by example, takes initiative and serves with passion and commitment,” said

WASHINGTON – Didlake, Inc., a government contractor that provides janitorial and maintenance employees to federal worksites throughout Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia, will pay $1,017,500 and provide programmatic relief to resolve a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, Didlake, a nonprofit that employs a significant number of employees with disabilities, failed to provide communications accommodations, including American Sign

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Pearl Interactive Network, Inc., a Columbus-based company, resolved a charge of disability discrimination filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency's Cleveland Field Office announced today.

During the EEOC’s investigation, the agency found that Pearl Interactive Network discriminated against an employee when it denied her a reasonable accommodation, unlawfully placed her on unpaid leave due to her disability, and improperly disclosed her medical information. Such alleged conduct violates

CAMARILLO, Calif. – Tres Hijas Berry Farms, LLC, will pay $200,000 and furnish injunctive relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today. The EEOC brought the lawsuit on behalf of a class of agricultural workers, whose primary language is Spanish.

The EEOC’s suit said Tres Hijas Berry Farms subjected both female and male workers to a sexually charged hostile work

PHILADELPHIA – AMZ Manufacturing Co. (AMZ), an electroplating, painting and assembly business based in York, Pennsylvania, will pay $110,000 and provide other relief to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, multiple male employees and supervisors subjected two female employees to a hostile work environment through sexually charged and demeaning sex-based comments. One of the women, a plater, endured unwelcome

FRESNO, Calif. – The Tulare City School District settled a federal charge of national origin discrimination filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for $45,000 and other injunctive relief, the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC, the Tulare City School District failed to promote an employee to the position of principal because of his Hispanic national origin, regardless of his qualifications and ability to do the job.

The EEOC investigated the

HONOLULU – Nonprofit organizations Opportunities and Resources, Inc. and ORI Anuenue Hale, Inc., recipients of federal contracts to provide janitorial services on military installations throughout Hawaii, will pay $325,000 and provide other relief to resolve a disability lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, from as early as 2015, ORI received multiple requests from Deaf employees for reasonable accommodations—such as American Sign Language

INDIANAPOLIS – Houchens Food Group, a large owner and operator of retail grocery, convenience and hardware stores and quick service restaurants headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Houchens subjected Matthew Barnett, a Spiritualist Rastafarian, to discrimination when it refused to hire him for a position at its Hometown IGA store in Williamsburg, Kentucky because he needed a religious

SAN FRANCISCO – Healthcare Services Group, Inc., which provides housekeeping and other services to healthcare facilities and employees 35,000 employees in 48 states, agreed to provide monetary and injunctive relief to an employee following an investigation by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

In a charge filed with EEOC, a woman employed as a “light housekeeper” at a nursing home facility in Concord, California, alleged that Healthcare Services Group prohibited

CLEVELAND – Nationwide automotive hauling and logistics company Wheeler Trucking, doing business as Wheeler Trucking Inc. and Wheeler Logistics, Inc. will pay $65,000 and furnish equitable relief to settle a race and religion lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Wheeler subjected Charles R. Lynch, III, a Torah Observant employee at its Sheffield, Ohio, location to discrimination when they revoked his religious accommodation that

ORLANDO, Fla. – Garda CL Southeast, Inc. doing business as GardaWorld, a company that provides cash logistics services to banks, financial institutions, and commercial and retail businesses, will pay $37,500 and furnish other relief to settle a disability lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, GardaWorld refused to accommodate a Deaf employee for years despite his repeated requests for an American Sign Language

WASHINGTON – The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today released Promising Practices for Preventing Harassment in the Construction Industry, a document that highlights key recommendations industry leaders can take to combat harassment in construction.

EEOC Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels discussed this document at a roundtable hosted by the White House in which other federal agency leaders, employers, trade unions, and others participated. At the roundtable, companies receiving federal grant funding as part of the

ATLANTA – Iron Hill Brewery of Buckhead, LLC, and Iron Hill Brewery, LLC, a chain of breweries and restaurants across several states, has agreed to pay $115,000 and furnish other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit, the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC suit alleged Iron Hill discriminated against an African American employee of its Buckhead, Georgia, location when it fired him because of his race

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Weis Markets, Inc., will pay $75,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment and disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a male supervisor at Weis Markets’ grocery store in Mifflintown, Pennsylvania, subjected a female employee to a sexually hostile work environment that included unwanted physical contact and sexual comments. Another supervisor witnessed some of

DENVER – Factor One Source Pharmacy, LLC, a pharmacy providing specialized pharmacy services to patients requiring complex medications, will pay $515,000 and provide other equitable relief to settle a disability and genetic information discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, Factor One violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) when it inquired about employee disabilities

MOBILE, Ala. and CHICAGO – Harmony Hospitality LLC, which operates a Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel in Dothan, Alabama, and LAS Hardwoods, a hardwood flooring company in the Chicago area, violated federal civil rights law when they each discriminated against an employee because of his sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or failure to adhere to gender stereotypes, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in two separate lawsuits filed today.

According to the Alabama lawsuit

SOCORRO, N.M. – Res-Care and Equus Workforce Solutions (jointly referred to as Res-Care/Equus), nationwide job assistance companies doing business in New Mexico, will pay $125,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability and pregnancy discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC charged Res-Care/Equus at its facility in Socorro, New Mexico with violating federal law when they discriminated against an employee with a high-risk