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The Great EEOC Roundup: May Edition


As always, there are some recent EEOC cases that jump out at me when I review recent development on that front.  Below are a couple EEOC cases and settlements that stand out:


Tiny's Organic Settles Pregnancy Discrimination Suit for $17,500.00

Earlier in May, the EEOC announced that Tiny's Organic would pay $17,500.00 to settle a pregnancy discrimination claim brought by a former employee.  The EEOC had alleged that Tiny's fired Maria Guillen nine days after she disclosed that she was pregnant with twins.  Even though Guillen had worked at Tiny's for over six years and had worked her way up, her employer claimed it feared for her safety and company liability.  Even though Guillen had a doctor who cleared her to perform her job without medical restrictions, Tiny's refused. 

This conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination based upon pregnancy, childbirth, or any medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth. 

EEOC Press Release:  http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-4-15.cfm


Ruby Tuesday to Pay $100,000.00 to Settle Sex Discrimination Suit

The EEOC recently announced that it had settled a sex discrimination claim filed against Ruby Tuesday, with the company agreeing to pay $100,000.00 and implement preventative measures.  Ruby Tuesday was charged with denying two male employees the opportunity to work as servers at its Park City, Utah location.  When the company posted an internal announcement for summer positions with company provided housing (and a chance for higher earnings), the announcement also stated only females would be considered because of alleged concerns over housing employees of both genders.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employers from giving more advantageous terms and conditions of employment to one group of individuals based upon gender.  This conduct by Ruby Tuesday violated that statue as the two male employees who complained of the discrimination were prohibited from an employment opportunity based upon their gender.

EEOC Press Release:  http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-21-15a.cfm

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