The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, recently resolved two separate cases of discrimination for thousands of dollars.
The first case revolved around Seymour Midwest, who selected Steve Maril from a pool of applicants to participate in a preliminary email-based interview, for a senior vice president of sales position. Seymour Midwest is a hand tool manufacturing company based out of Warsaw, Indiana.
Maril received questions about previous work experience, willingness to relocate and a question about age. Seymour Midwest’s ideal age for the position fell between 45 and 52. When the company learned Maril was older than the ideal age range, the company refused to hire him.
At this point, the EEOC filed suit in the US District Court for the Northern District of Indiana claiming that Seymour Midwest violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
The company was ordered to halt all questions surrounding age during the hiring process prior to making a job offer. In addition to having to provide training to hiring personnel, Seymour Midwest will also have to adhere to periodic compliance reporting and pay out $100,000.
Another case involved a food service distributor, Gilbert Foods LLC, trading as Hearn-Kirkwood. This company was ordered to pay $63,500 and furnish significant relief to resolve a pay discrimination and retaliation lawsuit.
This case also included some gender discrimination. EEOC charged that Hearn-Kirkwood paid Sonia Coates significantly less than her male counterparts, even though she had far more experience. Once Coates learned that a new male employee was getting paid more than she was, she told co-workers she planned on filing a charge of discrimination.
Word travelled fast throughout the office and according to the lawsuit, once a Hearn-Kirkwood manager learned of Coates’ plans he premeditated them by firing her, without making it appear unlawful. Coates was eventually terminated due to a string of unwarranted disciplinary actions, according to the EEOC.
The company violated the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, per the EEOC. A suit was filed in US District Court for the Northern District of Maryland.
In addition to the monetary consequences, Hearn-Kirkwood will also report to the EEOC about its compliance and will post a notice about the settlement, amongst other things.
