NURSING HOME AGREES TO PAY $67,500 TO SETTLE EEOC SUIT
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in mid-March, Hobe Sound OPCO, and related companies, agreed to settle a “national origin discrimination” suit for $67,500.
The company allegedly failed to hire a Haitian applicant for a position due to her national origin. Apparently, during a meeting, the owner and manager of the facility made disparaging remarks about “voodoo” and “Haitian rituals.”
Since that conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed its lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division (EEOC v. Hobe Sound OPCO et al., Civil Action No. 6:23-cv-01078), seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In addition to the monetary pay-out to the impacted individual, the company has agreed to modify its employment related policies and practices.
In a written statement, Kristen Foslid, acting regional attorney in the EEOC’s Miami Office, noted that, “This case illustrates that national origin discrimination continues to be a barrier for Haitian applicants seeking employment at all levels …. Job applicants deserve to advance as far as their talents and abilities take them—including in senior management positions—without having stereotypes forced upon them.”
Think that held them spellbound?
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