According to the EEOC's lawsuit, the employee was assigned to one of Hire Dynamics' clients as a quality auditor. The employee was suspended for a week for missing one day of work, after which he filed a discrimination charge against the company. After that, the EEOC said, he was never given any further job assignments or opportunities as retaliation.
Retaliation for filing a discrimination charge is prohibited by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (Case Number 1:13-cv-01317) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. As part of the suit, the EEOC is seeking back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief prohibiting the company from engaging in any further such retaliatory practices.
"When an employee files a discrimination charge with the EEOC, an employer has no right to punish him for exercising his rights," said EEOC District Director Bernice Williams Kimbrough. "In today's employment climate, the importance of protecting workers who utilize the charge filing process is greater than ever."
Eliminating policies and practices that discourage or prohibit individuals from exercising their rights under employment discrimination statutes, or that impede the EEOC's investigative or enforcement efforts, is one of six national priorities identified by the EEOC's Strategic Enforcement Plan.
Source: EEOC
This information is intended to be
educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.
