Financial Services Company Disciplined a Black Employee for Complaining About Discrimination, Agency Charges

DETROIT - Proctor Financial, Inc., a company based in Troy, Mich., that provides insurance products for residential and commercial properties, violated federal law when it suspended a black employee for complaining about race discrimination, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC's suit, the employee filed a charge with the EEOC, alleging she was denied a promotion due to her race. Roughly three months later, she amended her charge to include a claim for race-based pay disparities after she learned that Proctor hired a white female at a higher hourly wage. Shortly after amending her charge, she was disciplined. Prior to filing her charge, she had not been disciplined. In addition, similarly situated employees who had not opposed discrimination were not disciplined, the EEOC said. 

The anti-retaliation provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protect employees who have engaged in protected activity, including complaining about discriminatory conduct, from retaliation. The EEOC filed its suit (Civil Action No. 2:19-cv-11911) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC is seeking an injunction to prohibit the company from retaliating against employees in the future, as well as monetary relief on behalf of the employee.

"Disciplining an employee because she has complained about race discrimination is a clear violation of the broad anti-retaliation provisions of federal civil rights law," said EEOC Trial Attorney Nedra Campbell.