Black Employee Denied Performance Evaluation and Raise, and Fired Because of Race, Federal Agency Charges

Jacksonville, Fla. – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that it sued Lone Wolf Resources, L.L.C. for racial discrimination which occurred at its Jacksonville location. Texas-based Lone Wolf is an environmental remediation and construction services company.

The EEOC’s complaint alleges that Lone Wolf management referred to Black employees using racial slurs. Specifically, it alleges that a Lone Wolf co-owner and a manager referred to a Black employee as a “blue gum monkey,” called him the “N-word” and called black people “lazy.” The co-owner and manager allegedly devised a scheme to force the employee into quitting by denying him an annual performance evaluation and raise, then terminated his employment when he complained to another co-owner about obtaining his annual performance evaluation routinely provided to white employees.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The EEOC filed suit (Civil Action No. 3:21-cv-00979-TJC-PDB) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

“Unfortunately, over 50 years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC must continue to aggressively enforce Title VII to address pervasive race discrimination in the American workplace,” said EEOC Miami Regional Attorney Robert Weisberg.

EEOC Miami District Director Paul Valenti added, “Race discrimination sadly remains a serious issue for workers. The EEOC remains steadfast in its efforts to eliminate racial discrimination in employment and stands with victims of all forms of discrimination to ensure employers are held fully accountable for their actions.”

The EEOC’s Miami District Office is comprised of the Miami, Tampa, and San Juan EEOC offices, and has jurisdiction over Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.