NY – A federal jury awarded the former director of the Peekskill Housing Authority $1 million in a racial discrimination lawsuit. The suit alleged that the housing board’s chairwoman made derogatory statements about the Plaintiff’s ethnicity and orchestrated his removal because of bias against him.

CA – A federal jury awarded a $18.3 million to a six plaintiffs in an age discrimination case against Dr. Pepper Snapple. The company plans to appeal the decision but created a reserve for the damages.

TX – A federal jury found in favor of Christus Hospital St. Mary in a racial harassment case filed by a former security officer. The lawsuit alleged that the hospital allowed one African American employee to harass another African American employee because of her light skin. The plaintiff also alleged that she was constructively discharged because of the racially hostile work environment.

IL – A federal jury ordered Cook County and its former chairman of pathology to pay $7.6 million in a retaliation lawsuit brought by a physician in the county’s hospital. The Plaintiff alleged that the county suspended and terminated her based on her speaking out about hospital practices and because she filed an EEOC complaint of discrimination based on heritage and gender. The hospital claimed that it terminated the plaintiff because she misdiagnosed several patients with cancer and failed to follow established protocols and policies.

IL – A federal judge granted a Cicero Town president a new trial after a jury awarded a former town handyman $650,000 in damages in a political retaliation lawsuit. The judge threw out the verdict because of misconduct on the part of the defense attorney.

GA – The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals reconsidered and reversed its previous decision in a racial discrimination case. The recent ruling upheld the jury’s $365,000 compensatory damages award to a former black employee of a Tyson chicken plant. The employee alleged that a white manager called him “boy” and that the term was a racial epithet.

MO – A federal jury awarded a Kamen Technologies Corp. branch manager $760,000 in an age discrimination lawsuit.  The suit alleged that employee heard comments about the company needing younger managers, and after he complained to the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, the company demoted him and then suspended him without pay for two years.

IA – An Iowa jury found in favor of the North Iowa Regional Housing Authority in an age discrimination case.  The plaintiff alleged that the organization terminated her because of her young age, but the Housing Authority claimed that the plaintiff was only a provisional employee and subject to discharge if there were any disagreements.

TN – Atlas, Inc., a Tennessee restaurant company, will pay $39,232 in minimum and overtime back wages to 23 restaurant workers as a result of a U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division investigation.  The DOL also assessed $4, 301 in civil penalties for willful and repeat violations.

ME – A Maine jury found in favor of a local general contracting firm in a discrimination lawsuit.  A former worker alleged that the company wrongfully terminated him because of an on-the-job injury, but the company argued that it fired the employee because he had a long history of absenteeism.

TX – A federal jury awarded a former Texas Southern University women’s basketball coach $730,000 in a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit.  The suit alleged that the coach was threatened with demotion and then terminated for complaining that she was underpaid in comparison to a men’s basketball coach.

CA – A federal jury awarded a female lifeguard $100,000 in a discrimination lawsuit.  The suit alleged that the city of San Diego overlooked the lifeguard for promotion because its hiring practices discouraged the advancement of women.

CO – The Western Sugar Cooperative will pay $550,000 to settle a sex discrimination investigation. The EEOC alleged that the company denied female employees training, promotions, certain work assignments, year-round employment, and higher wages.

NM – Roberts Truck Centers has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a class sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. The suit alleged that the company subjected female employees to sex harassment and that one employee was terminated because she complained about the harassment.

NY – The Town of Clarence and Western New York Fire Companies will pay $441,740 to settle a class age discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of 35 firefighters. The suit alleged that the town and fire departments refused to allow firefighters over age 62 accrue the equivalent of a retirement pension because of their age.

MI – A Michigan City restaurant agreed to pay $23,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of a female hostess. The suit alleged that the restaurant allowed a manager to harass the hostess for months with sexual innuendo and propositions, subjecting her to a hostile work environment.

IL – Jay Medicar Transportation, LLC will pay $70,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of several female employees. The suit alleged that the company’s former director of operations harassed several women, including demanding sex in exchange for pay raises, scheduling changes, or continued employment.

CA – American Laser Centers has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of several women. The suit alleged that female staff members were sexually harassed by the landlord of the facility, including leering, unwelcome touching, sexual advances, and appearances by the visibly aroused landlord.

NC – Thomasville City Schools will pay $25,000 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a former assistant principal candidate. The suit alleged that the school failed to hire the candidate because of her age and selected two younger, less qualified candidates.

MD – The Mayor and the City Council of Ocean City have agreed to pay $38,000 to settle an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of an airport associate candidate. The suit alleged that the candidate was not hired because he was 62-years-old at the time of his application and that the airport manager made ageist comments to the applicant at the time of his interview.

CO – Tic Wyoming, a construction company, will pay $135,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit. The suit alleged that an employee was terminated because of the need to make reasonable accommodation for his leg amputation.

NY – AT&T has settled an age discrimination lawsuit alleging that the company discriminated against a class of retired workers by denying them the opportunity for reemployment solely because they retired under early retirement or enhanced severance programs. AT&T and the EEOC have entered into a consent decree in which AT&T denied the allegations in the suit but agreed to change the company policies.

AL – A federal jury found in favor of Austal USA in the majority of counts of a case brought by five employees.   The employees alleged that the company allowed a hostile work environment to persist, including racial slurs, nooses, and threatening graffiti.  The company’s attorney argued that Austal took all discrimination complaints seriously and tried to find the perpetrator when an employee reported an incident. 

MA – The city of Cambridge has settled a lawsuit with two former employees who alleged racial discrimination in the work place and retaliation.  The financial terms of the settlement are confidential.

VA – Virginia Tech has agreed to pay a former employee $60,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit.  The employee alleged that her supervisor repeatedly made sexually inappropriate comments during a training trip and that he fired her when she complained about the harassment. 

CA – A California jury found in favor of Oakland City in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by a former administrator.  The City argued that it terminated the administrator because she warned her nephew, a convicted felon who worked for the City, of an impending police raid on West Oakland gang members.     

NY – A federal jury ordered Dominican College to pay a former maintenance worker $400,000 in a retaliation suit.  Although the jury did not find racial or age discrimination, it found that the College had fired the employee because of his complaints. 

TX – Hilton Reservations Worldwide, LLC will pay $717,507 in minimum and overtime back wages to 2,645 current and former employees based on an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.  The government found that the company had violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by failing to pay employees for work they performed prior to officially starting their shifts. 

CA – A Sacramento jury awarded $5.2 million to a Sears Home Improvement Products employee in a racial harassment and retaliation lawsuit.  The jury found that Sears failed to investigate or remediate the employee’s complaints of racial harassment. 

ND – The Bismark Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar owners agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of five former employees.  The suit alleged that Applebee’s permitted a former store general manager to create a pattern and practice of sexual harassment and retaliation against employees. 

AZ – Arizona Logistics, Inc., an auto parts distributorship, will pay $175,000 to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of five former employees.  The suit charged that the company subjected female employees to sexual harassment, sexual assault, unwelcome sexual touching, and indecent exposure.  Although the company knew about the hostile work environment, it failed to take prompt action to remediate the situation.

WA – Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen, Washington agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a federal lawsuit.  The suit alleged that a hospital supervisor made offensive sexual comments, showed explicit material from the internet, and physically touched female technicians. 

OR – A Christmas tree farm in Woodburn, Oregon will pay $110,000 to settle a sexual harassment and national origin discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of two male employees.  The suit alleged that a company supervisor and other workers physically and verbally ridiculed the two employees, made sexual comments, and mocked the employees because of their national origin. 

TX – Allsup’s Convenience Stores, Inc. agreed to pay a former employee $37,000 to settle a retaliation lawsuit.  The suit alleged that the company fired the employee because he cooperated with an EEOC investigation of another employee’s charge of disability discrimination. 

CA – ABM Industries, a national janitorial services firm, will pay $180,000 to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of several Latino janitors working in commercial buildings.  The suit alleged that the company discriminated against the employees by giving them less preferable assignments, despite their senior status in the company, and retaliated against some of the employees after they filed charges with the EEOC. 

CA – Supercuts has agreed to pay $43,500 to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of a stylist and shift manager.  The suit alleged that Supercuts terminated the employee when she refused to work on two consecutive Sundays, despite her written and oral requests for accommodation of her Christian Sabbath observance. 

AZ – Community Provider of Enrichment Services, Inc., an organization that provides services for adults with developmental disabilities, will pay $33,500 in lost wages to a prospective employee.  The lawsuit alleged that the organization had a policy of refusing to hire people who were deaf or hard of hearing for direct service provider positions and refused to accommodate deaf applicants.

TN – Lowe’s Home Centers, Inc. agreed to pay $120,000 to settle a religious discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of an employee.  The suit alleged that the employee requested not to work on the Christian Sabbath, and the company retaliated against him by scheduling him to work on the Sabbath for 27 out of 28 weeks. 

NY – The Oyster Bay Fire Department, the Atlantic Steamer Fire Company No. 1, and multiple towns and villages will pay $279,600 to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of several firefighters.  The suit alleged that the defendants refused to let volunteer firefighters over age 62 accrue credit toward their retirement pensions because of their age.

MN – Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc. will pay $160,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a former director of clinical services.  The suit alleged that the company failed to provide reasonable accommodations and discharged the employee because she had brain cancer. 

CA – The Doctors Company, medical liability insurance company, agreed to pay $230,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of an administrative assistant.  The suit alleged that the employee was sexually harassed by her direct supervisor on a daily basis, including inappropriate comments about her appearance and personal life and unwelcome physical touching.  Instead of addressing the situation, the suit alleged that the company terminated the employee.   

TX – GES Global Energy Services agreed to pay $98,900 to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of African-American employees.  The suit alleged that the employees were subjected to a hostile work environment and that some of the employees were discharged after they complained about the harassment. 

CA – Aqua Tri, a pool supply company, will pay $462,500 to settle a sexual harassment, retaliation, and constructive discharge lawsuit brought on behalf of several Hispanic employees.  The suit alleged that the company subjected the employees to a sexually hostile work environment, including verbal and physical harassment, and that supervisors used promotions to pressure employees to have sex with them.

TX – Smile Brands, a Texas dental practice, agreed to pay $175,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of a female dental hygienist and a dental assistant.  The suit alleged that the company subjected the employees to a sexually hostile work environment, including unwanted sexual comments and touching by a male lead dentist.

CA – A California jury ordered Grow More, a global fertilizer corporation, to pay $925,000 to a former employee in a disability discrimination lawsuit. The employee alleged that Grow More terminated his employment because he needed minor accommodations.

MD – A Maryland jury ordered Edgewood Management Corporation to pay $650,000 to an employee in a retaliation lawsuit. The employee allegedly had excellent performance reviews, but the company disciplined her twice and reduced her compensation after she reported another employee’s gender discrimination complaint to her second-line supervisor.

IA – A federal jury awarded $1.1 million to a former Upper Iowa University employee. The employee filed a lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act, alleging that the University did not accommodate her depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. The University is appealing the decision and argued that the employee did not provide any medical documentation and did not make specific accommodation requests.

IL – A federal jury awarded a former police chief only $1 in compensatory damages in a discrimination suit. This case went on for nearly two years, and although the jury did find that the city had discriminated against the former police chief, the city considers the $1 verdict a victory.

AR – A federal jury ordered a Texarkana school district to pay $500,000 to a former teacher in a racial discrimination lawsuit. The school district argued that the teacher was fired for giving special needs students the answers to a test, and it plans to appeal the verdict.

MA – A federal jury found that the Mohegan Council of the Boy Scouts of America discriminated against an employee on the basis of his national origin and ordered the organization to pay $300,000 in punitive damages and $152,500 in lost pay.

CA – A jury has awarded $2.5 million to three Los Angeles police detectives in a gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuit. The case alleged that a supervisor in the police unit confided in one of the detectives that she only wanted women officers to fill night-shift supervisor assignments. Subsequently, the supervisor transferred a male detective out of the unit and warned his new supervisor that he was “a bad influence.”

CA – A California jury has ordered Jon Peters, a film producer, to pay his former assistant $3 million in a sexual harassment and hostile work environment case. Peters’s assistant alleged that he fondled her and climbed into bed with her during the filming of “Superman Returns” in 2005.

NJ – A New Jersey appeals court overturned a $2.5 million verdict against South Jersey Gas, vacating an Atlantic County jury’s 2009 award and ordering a new trial. A South Jersey Gas employee had alleged that he was wrongfully terminated because of his depression. The state’s discrimination laws cover mental and physical disabilities.

VA – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) agreed to pay $28,500 to a local employee who sued the agency for racial discrimination. The lawsuit alleged that FEMA retaliated against the employee after he complained about unfair employment practices predicated on religion and race.

GA – A federal jury found in favor of a Buckhead tavern in a civil rights lawsuit brought by a former professional basketball player and an Atlanta attorney. The plaintiffs alleged that the restaurant’s unwritten policy that men be asked to give up their seats to women in exchange for a free round of drinks was discriminatory and used to harass black patrons and keep the bar and its patio predominately white.

CA – The US Department of Labor found that Bond Laboratories, Inc. and its former CEO violated the whistleblower protection provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act by terminating an employee who allegedly objected to the manipulation of sales figures that misrepresented the company’s value to potential investors. Bond Laboratories will pay approximately $500,000 and rehire the employee.

PA – A federal jury found in favor of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in a lawsuit brought by a former professor who alleged that the University retaliated against him when he complained of racial discrimination. The jury found that the plaintiff had failed to produce sufficient evidence to support his claim, and it believed the University’s argument that it denied tenure to the plaintiff because of his poor job performance.

TX – A federal court ordered Texas Southern University to pay $730,000 to a former women’s basketball coach who alleged gender discrimination and retaliation. TSU is currently appealing the verdict.

MO – A Missouri trial court awarded $127,056 in actual damage, $97,382.50 in attorneys’ fees, $36,288 in front pay, and $1,303,632.50 in punitive damages to a former Missouri Department of Corrections employee who alleged disability discrimination and retaliatory discharge. The appellate court affirmed the trial court’s decision.

DC – Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. agreed to pay $2.25 million in back wages, interest and benefits to more than 1,650 qualified female job applicants who were rejected for employment. The US Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs determined that Tyson Fresh Meats had violated an Executive Order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sex.

MS – Analytic Stress Relieving, Inc. agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a sex-based retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of a terminated female employee.  The suit alleged that the company terminated the employee because she complained that her supervisor had sexual harassed her in the workplace. 

AR – Rock-Tenn Company will pay $160,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of a female employees.  The suit alleged that the company failed to take action to prevent the sexual harassment of female employees by a male co-worker. 

CA – The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. agreed to pay $120,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of a former driver.  The suit alleged that Pepsi terminated the employee because of job abandonment when, in fact, he had properly reported to his supervisor that he could not finish his route because he needed to take medical leave because of his disability. 

MD – The Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington will pay $100,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a former assistant teacher.  The suit alleged that the Jewish Community Center denied the employee accommodation, demoted her to a lower-paying position, and ultimately, removed her from the preschool because of her hearing impairment.

TX – A developer of housing facilities will pay $50,000 to settle an age discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of a former employee.  The suit alleges that the company’s director of market research expressed concerns about the employee being too old to connect with college-age residents.  When the employee learned about the age-based comments, she complained to management and was subsequently fired. 

TN – William County Sausage Company settled a wage discrimination and racial harassment lawsuit for $60,000.  The suit alleged that the company paid an African-American maintenance worker less than white workers and subjected him to a hostile work environment. 

CA – MV Transportation settled a gender discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of two former bus cleaners who alleged that they were treated differently and ultimately terminated because of their gender.  The company will pay $35,000 to the former employees. 

MN – Woodman’s Food Market’s, Inc. has agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a former employee.  The suit alleged that the company terminated an employee who worked as a clerk in its gas station because she had a back condition that prevented her from lifting more than ten pounds. 

NY – A federal court ruled that Dresser-Rand Company, a heavy manufacturing company, would pay full damages to an employee who was terminated in 2004.  A federal court had previous ruled that the company had engaged in religious discrimination, and the company had attempted to limit back pay damages by arguing that the employee could have attended community college for retraining.

IN – The Wild Beaver Saloon in Indianapolis agreed to pay $45,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination suit brought on behalf of a former bartender and server.  The suit alleged that the Saloon terminated the employee because of her pregnancy.

NY – New York University will pay $210,000 to settle a race and national origin harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of an African-born employee.  The suit alleged that a supervisor in NYU’s library mailroom regularly addressed the employee with slurs, criticized the employee’s accent as “gibberish” and expressed hostility toward immigrants.  NYU allegedly took months to investigate the behavior and took almost no corrective action. 

VA – Lawrence Transportation Systems agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a Rastafarian job applicant.  The suit alleged that the company refused to hire the applicant because he wore his hair in dreadlocks.

HI – ITT Corporation will pay $215,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of a female firefighter.  The suit alleged that the employee’s male coworkers and supervisors subjected her to overtly sexual remarks and drawings and that they watched pornographic programs in her presence.  After the employee complained she was reassigned and disciplined. 

TX – Starbucks Coffee Company agreed to pay $75,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a job applicant with dwarfism.  The suit alleged that the job applicant was denied the opportunity to work for the company despite her suggestions that she could use a stool or stepladder to perform some of the job duties of preparing orders and serving customers. 

TX – Wal-Mart Stores will pay $27,500 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of an overnight stocker.  The suit alleged that a male security guard sexually harassed the employee, including subjecting her to unwanted verbal remarks and physical touching, and that that management disregarded the employee’s complaints about the harassment. 

CA – New United Motors & Manufacturing, Inc., an auto plant, agreed to pay $6 million to settle a class action lawsuit under the Americans with Disabilities Act.  The suit alleged that when the auto plant closed, it denied severance benefits and transitional services to workers on medical leave. 

MN – 3M will pay $3 million to settle a class action age discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of former employees.  The suit charged that 3M unlawfully laid off hundreds of employees over age 45 to save money and cut salaries. 

AR – Forest City Grocery Company agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a job applicant.  The suit alleged that the company told the applicant that the job of salesman was too dangerous for a woman and that she would not be a good mother if she was on the road meeting customers. 

AR – Premier Well Services, LLC will pay $30,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of an applicant who the company allegedly refused to hire because of his religious beliefs.

TX – Briggs Equipment, Inc. agreed to pay $112,000 to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a former employee.  The suit alleged that the company terminated the employee because of his race and that the employee was subjected to a racially hostile work environment where his supervisors blatantly referred to him with racial epithets and made racist jokes.

 NC – Huntersville Seafood, Inc. will pay $86,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of a male employee.  The suit alleged that male employees were sexually harassed physically and verbally by a male coworker, and that when the employee complained, he was discharged.   

CNMI – AA Enterprises, Inc., a gas station company in Saipan, agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of four female non-resident gas station workers.  The suit alleged that the company forced the workers to pay for their own pregnancy-related medical expenses while covering the expenses of employees with other medical conditions.  

OK – A federal jury ordered Abercrombie & Fitch to pay $20,000 to a Tulsa woman who claimed that the company refused to hire her because she wore an Islamic headscarf to her job interview.

TX – Kinder Morgan, Inc. agreed to pay $830,000 in overtime back wages to 4,659 employees to settle a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit. The suit alleged that employee bonuses were not included as part of the regular rate of pay for the calculation of overtime, as required by the Fair Labor Standards Act, and that the company failed to pay employees for pre-shift meetings and improperly rounded the employees’ work hours.

CA – A California jury awarded a former Los Angeles Airport police lieutenant $925,209 in a gender discrimination lawsuit in which she claimed that being female prevented her from timely promotion to a captain’s position.

VA – The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration ordered Norfolk Southern Corporation, a railroad, to pay $122,199 in compensatory and punitive damages, along with reasonable attorneys’ fees to a former employee who reported an on-the-job injury. OSHA investigated Norfolk Southern and determined that it had violated the Federal Railroad Safety Act.

IL – A federal district court ordered the City of Chicago to reinstate 111 firefighters and pay at least $30 million in damages to 6,000 others in a race discrimination lawsuit. The U.S. Supreme Court had unanimously agreed that the candidates had not waited too long before filing the suit, and the federal appeals court affirmed the ruling and remanded the case to the trial court to implement a hiring remedy.

VA – Lawrence Transportation Systems agreed to pay $30,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Lawrence originally fought the case, but a jury found that it had been unwilling to make reasonable accommodations for an employee’s Rastafarian beliefs by ordering him to cut his dreadlocks.

FL – Two La Nopalera restaurants will pay $934,000 in back pay and liquidated damages to settle a wage case brought by the U.S. Department of Labor. The lawsuit alleged that the restaurants improperly classified the kitchen employees as exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the employees were only allowed to keep their tips as wages, and the restaurant did not maintain accurate records of the hours worked by employees.

NM – Genesco, Inc., a national shoe retailer, agreed to pay $20,000 to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of three teenaged female workers.  The charges alleged that Genesco subjected the workers to sexual harassment by an assistant manager and then retaliated against them for complaining. 

AZ – Terminix will pay $140,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of two female employees who claimed they were repeatedly sexually harassed by their supervisor.  The suit alleged that other supervisors were aware for the misconduct but did not address it. 

CA – Target Corporation agreed to pay $160,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of a cart attendant with cerebral palsy. The suit alleged that Target failed to provide the necessary accommodation of a job coach for the employee to perform his duties with his disability. 

MD – Verizon Communications will pay $20 million and provide additional equitable relief to settle a national class disability discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of hundreds of employees.  The suit alleged that Verizon unlawfully denied reasonable accommodations to the employees and either disciplined or fired them based on its “no fault” attendance policy. 

AR – Great Lakes Chemical Corporation agreed to pay $80,000 to settle a racial discrimination lawsuit.  The suit alleged that Great Lakes terminated several employees based on discriminatory and subjective evaluations. 

MD – A construction company will pay $230,000 to settle a gender harassment and retaliation lawsuit.  The suit alleged that the company subjected an employee to a sexually hostile work environment and then fired her in retaliation for her complaints about it. 

WI – A federal district court entered a consent decree that provides that Richardson Industries, Inc., a building product company, will pay $22,500 to a former employee who alleged that she was sexually harassed by a supervisor at the company Christmas party. 

OK – A federal court found that Abercrombie & Fitch had committed religious discrimination by refusing to hire an individual because she was wearing a hijab when she was interviewed.  Damages will be determined by a jury.

DC – Cavalier Telephone Company, Inc. agreed to pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit charging that the company had a practice of not hiring applicants age 40 or older for sales and account executive positions.  The EEOC also alleged that the Company retaliated against two employees for complaining about the discriminatory hiring practices. 

WA – Mason County Forest Products will pay $900,000 to settle a sexual harassment, sex discrimination, and retaliation case brought on behalf of two female workers.  The lawsuit alleged that the women faced widespread hostility which upper management ignored.

 GA – Resource Real Estate Management, Inc. agreed to pay $335,000 to settle an age discrimination law suit brought on behalf of three management-level employees.  The suit alleged that the company fired the three employees, aged 53, 60, and 64, and subsequently hired 14 employees under age 40 to create a younger image. 

OK – Bank of the West will pay $48,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit.  The suit alleged that the Bank refused to hire an Oklahoma City woman for a branch manager position because of her gender even thought they acknowledged that she was the best-qualified candidate for the job. 

IL – Promens USA, Inc., a plastics manufacturer, agreed to pay $225,000 to settle a sex discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of four women.  The suit alleged sexual harassment and discrimination and that Promens deliberately excluded women from higher-paying jobs.

TX – A Texas jury found in favor of Texas Roadhouse, a national restaurant company, in a religious discrimination lawsuit. A former employee alleged that Texas Roadhouse had forced him to work on Sundays in violation of his religious beliefs, but court documents showed that the restaurant had accommodated him by never scheduling him to work on Sundays except for two high-volume holidays.

IL – A federal jury found in favor of two former East St. Louis Fire and Police Commissioners who alleged that they were fired because they spoke out against racial discrimination against white applicants in the hiring process. The jury awarded each of the Commissioners $15,000 in punitive damages and $5,500 in compensatory damages.

NJ – A jury awarded $450,000 in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitive damages to a police officer who claimed that the police department retaliated against him for filing a racial discrimination suit. The jury decided that while the department did not discriminate against the officer, it did retaliate against him for filing a complaint. The police department is currently requesting a new trial on the case.

CA – A jury found that an entrepreneur and civil rights activist sexually harassed and battered one of his employees. The jury ordered that the employer would pay for his employee’s medical and psychological bills. An additional trial will occur to assess non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering and emotional distress.

TX – A federal jury ordered a former judge to pay $3.2 million to three female coworkers in a sexual harassment lawsuit. The suit alleged that the former county court-at-law judge had created a hostile work environment and had physically accosted other employees.

TX – The U.S. Department of Labor recovered $104,837 in overtime wages on behalf of 57 Hurricane Ike cleanup workers from the owner of a debris cleanup company in Anahuac, Texas. The workers were allegedly misclassified as independent contractors and paid straight wages when they were owed overtime under the FLSA.

IN – Dots, Inc., a national women’s clothing retailer, agreed to pay $246,500 to settle a class action race discrimination law suit brought on behalf of 32 white applicants who contended that Dots regularly hired black entry-level applicants for sales positions but excluded white applicants who were equally or better qualified.

SC – A group of temporary staffing firms and one of its clients, a subcontractor, agreed to pay $42,500 to settle a national origin discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of an individual who claimed that she was not allowed to work on a project because she was not born in the United States, even though she is a U.S. citizen.

MO – A shelter for women who have been victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse agreed to pay $103,000 to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of two employees who alleged they were retaliated against for reporting sexual harassment by the shelter’s executive director.

IL – A federal court in Peoria returned a verdict for $600,000 against AutoZone, Inc. for failure to provide reasonable accommodation to a disabled sales manager. The EEOC charged that AutoZone required the manager to perform certain non-essential duties that violated his medical restrictions.

MN – Herzog Roofing agreed to pay $71,500 to settle a racial harassment claim brought on behalf of seven current employees and racial harassment and retaliation charges brought on behalf of one former employee. The harassment was allegedly perpetuated by supervisors and did not stop despite complaints to senior management.

GA – Advance Industrial Fabrications, Inc. agreed to pay $35,000 to settle a pregnancy discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of a former employee who alleged she was terminated within a month of disclosing her pregnancy status to the company president.

HI – East Hawaii Veterinary Center, LLC will pay $101,000 to settle a federal sexual and gender-based harassment suit on behalf of female employees who alleged harassing conduct by the co-owner of the clinic.

MD – Norfolk Southern Railway Corporation will pay $60,000 to settle a federal sex discrimination lawsuit alleging that the railroad removed a female employee from a yardmaster training class based on her sex.

NC – Ricoh Americas Corporation has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a lawsuit alleging harassment based on race and national origin and retaliation against the employees after they complained about the harassment.

NM – Sonic Drive-In of Los Lunas, Ltd. has agreed to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit for $2 million brought on behalf of a class of female employees.

IN – Finish Line, Inc. settled a disability discrimination lawsuit for $38,000 brought on behalf of an employee who alleged that the company refused to reasonably accommodate her disability.

TX – ENGlobal will pay $100,000 to settle an EEOC disability discrimination suit brought on behalf of an employee who alleged that the company unlawfully terminated his employment.

MD – A surveying company agreed to pay $77,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit brought on behalf of two employees who alleged they were terminated based on their health conditions.

MI – LensCrafters will pay $192,500 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought on behalf of a male employee who claimed he was subjected to a sexually hostile work environment.

MD – Denny’s, Inc. agreed to pay $1.3 million to settle a lawsuit brought on behalf of an employee who alleged that the restaurant refused to provide her with reasonable accommodations for her disability, including additional leave time.

NC – Dolgencorp, LLC will pay $50,000 to three former female employees to settle a sexual harassment suit alleging that the women were harassed by a male store manager.

AZ – A federal judge in Phoenix found that Subway fast-food restaurant engaged in intentional pregnancy discrimination when it refused to hire a female job applicant because she was pregnant.

IA – A federal district court judge entered a consent decree resolving an age discrimination lawsuit and awarding a $65,000 to an individual who alleged that the City of Boone, Iowa hired a younger applicant for the job.

VA – An Alexandria jury awarded a former female firefighter $250,000 in a sexual harassment suit against the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department alleging that the department “failed to take effective action” to stop harassment from her male supervisor. 

VA – Another suit by a female firefighter against the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department alleging sexual harassment by the same male supervisor was dismissed on the county’s motion for summary judgment.

MD – A federal jury found in favor of the city of Hagerstown in a sexual harassment and discrimination suit brought by a female police academy recruit who alleged she was subject to a hostile work environment during her training.

CA – A jury found that a local union official had engaged in harassing conduct against a female employee of the union but the plaintiff was barred from recovering any damages because the statute of limitations had lapsed.  A mistrial was declared as to whether the union was liable after the jury failed to reach a verdict on that issue.

IL – A federal jury awarded $95 million to a plaintiff in a sexual harassment case against Aaron’s, a rent-to-own furniture merchant, alleging that a store manager sexually harassed and eventually assaulted her.  The verdict may be the largest in a sexual harassment case to date.

FL – A Florida court of appeals reversed a $2.6 million jury verdict in favor of the plaintiff, finding that the plaintiff had failed to establish the elements of his racial discrimination and retaliation claims under Florida’s Civil Rights Act.

TN – ThyseenKrupp Elevator Manufacturing, Inc. agreed to pay $288,333 to settle a class action sex discrimination suit brought by the Department of Labor on behalf of female job applicants who were denied assembler/packer and utility positions at the company’s Middleton facility.  The company also agreed to offer 23 positions to the women involved.

TN – A federal jury awarded $260,000 to a former employee of South Central Communications who sued the company alleging she was fired in retaliation for supporting another female employee in her own sex and age discrimination suit against the company.

PA – A federal jury found in favor of a former employee of a funeral home who alleged she was suspended in retaliation for filing an EEOC charge alleging religious discrimination.  The jury awarded no damages and also could not determine whether the plaintiff resigned her employment or was terminated.

MA – A jury awarded a former researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute $50,000 in a gender discrimination suit based on wrongful termination.

CA – Farmers Insurance agreed to pay $1,520,705 in back wages to 3,459 call center employees following a Department of Labor investigation that revealed overtime and record-keeping violations related to the company’s failure to pay employees for pre-shift work activities.

MD – A jury awarded a former official for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission $1.65 million in a racial discrimination suit based on wrongful termination.  According to the lawsuit, the official was fired after he refused to accept a demotion. 

TX – While the judge threw out her sex discrimination claim, a jury awarded a former Radio One employee $750,000 in punitive damages in a retaliation case.  The judge reduced the award to $290,000 with $10,000 for emotional pain and suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, along with $6,000 for lost income and $33,000 for attorneys’ fees.

CA – Aon Insurance Services, Inc. agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle an overtime class action case brought by California Account Specialists who had allegedly been misclassified by the defendant as exempt administrative employees.

AK – Delta Family Health and Fitness for Children agreed to pay $87,500 to settle a retaliation suit brought by the EEOC on behalf of four employees who alleged they were fired for complaining about discrimination. 

WY – A health care facility will pay $10,000 in settlement of a pregnancy discrimination suit brought on behalf of a former employee who alleged she was disciplined and then fired shortly after the company learned she was pregnant.

OH – Eclipse Advantage, Inc. agreed to pay $60,000 to settle a race discrimination and retaliation suit brought on behalf of an African-American employee who alleged he was subject to racial slurs, demotion, and eventual termination because of his race.

WI – Chubb & Son insurance company agreed to settle a race discrimination and retaliation suit for $110,000 brought on behalf of a Hmong employee who alleged she was denied a promotion because of her race, and then denied a second promotion in retaliation for filing her EEOC charge.

OH – Dave’s Supermarket agreed to pay $300,000 to settle a sexual harassment suit brought on behalf of four female employees who alleged they were harassed by a manager.

IL – A Hilton hotel will pay $195,000 to settle a national origin discrimination suit brought by the EEOC on behalf of three Hispanic employees who alleged that they were subject to racial slurs by the executive chef.

CA – Fisher Nut Company agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a retaliation suit brought on behalf of a group of Hispanic workers who alleged they were subject to retaliation for attending an informal meeting that led to the filing of an EEOC charge.

OH – Hyundai Ideal Electric Company will pay $188,000 to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation suit brought on behalf of a female employee who alleged she was paid less than her male counterpart, and then fired in retaliation for complaining about the disparity.

NC – Dillard’s department store agreed to settle an age discrimination suit for $50,000 brought on behalf of a 61-year-old sales manager who alleged she was fired because of her age.

NM – A highway construction company agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation suit brought on behalf of two female workers who alleged they were sexually harassed by their supervisor.  One of the workers also alleged she was fired for complaining about the harassment.

AZ – An online college will pay $260,000 to settle a sex discrimination suit brought on behalf of six female employees who alleged they were subject to sexual harassment by their supervisors.

AZ – A charter school in Phoenix agreed to pay $41,125 to settle a sexual harassment suit brought on behalf of two female employees who alleged they were harassed by the husband of the school’s owner and director.

PA – A martial arts supplies distributor agreed to settle an age discrimination suit for $100,000 brought on behalf of a 74-year-old former controller who alleged he was forced to retire by the company pursuant to a new mandatory retirement policy.

NC – KobeWieland Copper Products, LLC agreed to pay $84,750 to settle a disability discrimination suit brought on behalf of an applicant who alleged his job offer was rescinded when the hiring official saw that he was missing fingers on his left hand.

TX – Childress Engineering Services, Inc. settled a sexual harassment and retaliation suit mid-trial that was brought on behalf of a female employee who alleged she was subjected to a hostile work environment by her male co-workers and then fired after filing her EEOC charge.  The company settled the suit for $55,000.

MA – ACT Teleconferencing Services will pay $40,000 to settle a disability discrimination suit brought on behalf of a former employee who alleged she was denied an extension of leave and then fired after being seriously injured in a car accident on her way to work.

CA – Monterey Gourmet Foods, Inc. agreed to pay $535,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation suit brought on behalf of four workers who alleged they were harassed by their supervisor and then fired shortly after reporting the harassment to the company.

WI – Chrysler Group, LLC will pay $60,000 to settle a retaliation suit brought on behalf of two female employees who alleged they were retaliated against for opposing sex discrimination.

IN – A state contractor will pay $55,000 to settle a disability discrimination suit brought on behalf of an employee who alleged she was denied a reasonable accommodation and then discharged.

AL – U.S. Security Associates, Inc. agreed to pay $1.95 million to settle a sexual harassment suit brought on behalf of a group of female employees who alleged they were harassed by their supervisor.

NY – A Dunkin’ Donuts franchise settled a sexual harassment suit for $290,000 brought on behalf of a group of female employees who alleged they were sexually harassed by their manager and that the company allowed the harassment to continue after the employees complained about it.

CA – A pharmacy chain will pay $55,000 to settle a race and gender discrimination and retaliation suit brought on behalf of a female employee who alleged she was subject to disparate treatment because of her race and sex, and then fired after she complained to human resources.

VA – A former CEO of Online Resources Corporation was awarded $5.3 million by a jury in his suit against the company for breach of contract, unjust enrichment and wrongful termination.  The jury found in favor of the company on the wrongful termination claim, but found that the company had breached its contract with respect to severance pay owed to the CEO.

OH – A jury found in favor of the defendant hospital in a sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation suit brought by a doctor who alleged she was harassed by her supervisor and then fired after filing her lawsuit.  Before the trial, the doctor rejected a $1.5 million settlement offer from the hospital.

CA – A jury awarded a police officer $1 million in his suit against the Los Angeles Police Department alleging that he was harassed by his supervisor because of his sexual orientation and then retaliated against for complaining about the harassment.

VA – A federal jury awarded a female firefighter $250,000 in a sexual harassment suit brought against the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department alleging that her supervisor subjected her to sexual harassment.

PR – The First Circuit affirmed the district court’s judgment for $350,000 in favor of a former employee in a suit alleging gender discrimination and hostile work environment.

TX – A jury awarded more than $500,000 to a former professor of Texas Tech University who alleged he was fired because he was deaf.

NY – A federal jury found in favor of a former Spring Valley mayor in a sexual harassment suit brought by the director of the village’s Section 8 housing assistance office.

MO – A jury awarded $350,000 to a deputy fire chief in a race discrimination suit brought against the City of St. Louis alleging he was discriminated against when a white firefighter of lower rank was promoted to fire chief.