Ambulance Company Failed to Make Promised Payments to Resolve Race and Sex Discrimination Charge, Federal Agency Says
According to the lawsuit, Mekia Austin filed a charge of discrimination alleging that she had been sexually harassed and terminated because of her race (black) and sex. Austin died during the EEOC's investigation. The ambulance service entered into a pre-determination settlement agreement to resolve the charge. It agreed to pay a total of $5,000 to Austin's two surviving minor children, but the company paid only $800 to the children, the EEOC charged.
To enforce the terms of the settlement agreement, the EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania (EEOC v. Guardian Angel Ambulance Service, Inc., Civil Action No. 2:13-cv-01205). The EEOC is requesting a court order requiring the ambulance service to pay $4,200, plus interest, to the minor children, report the payments to the EEOC after they are made, and pay the EEOC's costs in filing this action.
Philadelphia Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence said, "When an employer refuses to honor the promises it made in a voluntary settlement agreement, the EEOC will file suit to enforce that agreement."
District Director Spencer H. Lewis, Jr., of the EEOC's Philadelphia District Office added, "We encourage employers and charging parties to reach a resolution that both parties find satisfactory. A voluntary settlement is not an admission of liability, and it often saves all parties the time and expense of a full investigation or even possible litigation. But the EEOC will take action if an employer fails to comply with a negotiated settlement agreement."
Source: EEOC
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educational and should not be considered legal advice on any specific matter.
