COMPANY FAILED TO ADDRESS RACIALLY INSENSITIVE REMARKS MADE TO BLACK EMPLOYEE
In a case recently filed by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Elevation Labs was alleged to have retaliated against an employee who objected to “racially insensitive remarks and unfair treatment.” Rather than address her complaint, she was told she “needed to be the bigger person.” In addition to hindering her ability to get a promotion, she was allegedly forced to resign after receiving an “unjustified warning,”
Believing that such conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed its lawsuit (EEOC v. Elevation Labs, LLC, Case No. 4:23-cv-00318-BLW) in U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho, seeking monetary damages (including compensation for emotional distress), punitive damages, and injunctive relief stopping such misconduct in the future.
In a written statement, Elizabeth Cannon, Seattle field director for the EEOC, noted that, “The laws we enforce make it very clear that employers must not punish workers who assert their right to oppose discrimination, and yet retaliation charges have become the most frequently filed allegation with the EEOC, showing up in more than half of all charges we receive …. Employers who wish to avoid the pitfalls of retaliation may benefit from looking at the EEOC’s joint initiative with the Department of Labor and National Labor Relations Board to address and prevent retaliation.”
This wasn’t elevating at all.
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