EEOC Sues MPW Industrial Services for Race Discrimination

Two Employees Racially Harassed at Work, Federal Agency Charges

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- MPW Industrial Services, Inc., a Hebron, Ohio industrial cleaning company, violated federal law by subjecting two African-American employees to a racially hostile work environment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed yesterday.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, MPW made the two employees suffer racial harassment, including hangman's nooses, racial epithets, racist comments and jokes, and an alleged KKK meeting at the worksite.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (Case No. 1:18-cv-00063) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Cincinnati Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against MPW for the two employees as well as other relief, including a permanent injunction to prevent the company from engaging in future race discrimination.

"Federal law clearly prohibits discriminating against an employee because of race," said Kenneth Bird, regional attorney for EEOC's Indianapolis District.  "Displaying a hangman's noose is particularly vicious, and doesn't belong in this country - or any other.  The EEOC is absolutely commited to the elimination of race discrimination in the workplace."

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.