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The Great EEOC Roundup: August Edition


As always, there are some EEOC cases that jump out at me when I review developments on that front.  Below are a couple EEOC cases and settlements that caught my eye this month.


Pier 1 Imports Agrees to Settle Race Discrimination Charge For $20,000.00

Prior to a suit being filed, Pier 1 Imports entered into the conciliation process to resolve a race discrimination claim brought by an applicant that sought an assistant manager at one of its stores in Montclair, California.  It was alleged that Pier 1 denied the applicant the position after conducting a criminal background check.  The EEOC's investigation determined that Pier 1's use of the criminal background check limited the employment opportunity of the job applicant based upon his race, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  While not admitting liability, Pier 1 agreed to pay $20,000.00 to resolve the charge.


Hirschbach Motor Lines to Pay $40,000.00 to Settle Disability Discrimination Suit

Hirschbach Motor Lines, Inc. was alleged to have engaged in a practice of using a pre-employment back assessment to screen out and reject job applicants it regarded as being disabled for truck driving positions.  (The back assessment tested a candidate's ability to balance and stand on one leg, touch toes, and crawl.)  Notably, Hirschbach conducted the assessment even though the applicants had already received their Department of Transportation medical certifications with authorized them to drive a truck.  In the suit, it was alleged this assessment was used to screen out job applicants with pre-existing injuries and/or unrestricted medical conditions that had received conditional offers of employment.  This alleged conduct is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act which prohibits employers from using qualification standards to screen out applicants regarded as disabled (unless the standard is shown to be job related for the position and consistent with business necessity.)


Pregnancy Discrimination Suit Filed Against Orlando Float

Yesterday, the EEOC filed a pregnancy discrimination suit against Azul Wellness, LLC d/b/a Orlando Float on the grounds that the employer unlawfully terminated an employee because of her pregnancy.  The suit has alleged that after the employee told the owners of the business that she was pregnant, they conditioned her return to work on the employee providing a note from her doctor.  The employee was told the doctor's note was "non-negotiable" and there was no flexibility with this policy (even though the employee had not requested an accommodation.)  Upon returning to work for her next scheduled shift, the employee was given a termination letter dated three days after she informed her employer of the pregnancy.  This alleged conduct, if true, is in violation of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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