Redskins Name Is an 'Ethnic Slur,' Says Lawyer
Seyfarth Synopsis: The California Supreme Court ruled that an isolated, one-time, use of a racial slur may be so severe—when viewed in relation to the totality of the circumstances—as to alter the conditions of employment,...more
Former Owner of Whitten Hotel Accused of Racist Behavior, Federal Agency Charges - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Roark-Whitten Hospitality 2, LP, doing business as the Whitten Inn, and its successor purchaser of the hotel SGI, LLC,...more
Over the past decade, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (which includes North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia) has substantially lowered the bar for demonstrating racial harassment in cases where a racial...more
Over the past decade, a growing number of federal appellate circuits have heard cases asking whether a single use of a racially offensive epithet is enough to clear the bar for a hostile environment racial harassment claim...more
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced two high-profile settlements of race claims – one for discrimination and one for harassment – that highlight the dangers of employers failing to protect...more
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has unanimously approved a resolution condemning the recent violence, harassment, and acts of bias against Jewish individuals in the United States, the...more
Fencing Company's Mistreatment of Black Employee, Including Racial Slurs and Noose Display, Forced Him to Quit, Federal Agency Charged - CHICAGO - A Melrose Park, Ill., fencing company will pay $25,000 and furnish other...more
Concrete Contractor Fired Secretary Who Opposed Racial Slurs, Federal Agency Says - BALTIMORE - Baltimore County-based Bay Country Professional Concrete violated federal law when it subjected a secretary to racial...more
President Donald Trump’s recent Tweet suggesting that four Democratic congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came” has sparked robust debate across the country....more
A Los Angeles jury awarded a black former UCLA phlebotomist nearly $1.6 million in damages for being subjected to racial harassment by co-workers. Birden v. The Regents of the University of California, No. BC6681389 (Los...more
In recent years, a number of federal appellant courts, including the Fourth Circuit, have issued opinions finding that a single use of a racial slur can be enough to constitute a hostile and offensive working environment...more
Last week, President Trump made headlines when he tweeted that “‘progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen … originally came from countries” that were “totally broken and crime infested,” and that they should “go back” to the...more
Company Failed to Address Racial Slurs and Harassment of Hispanics, Federal Agency Charged - FRESNO, Calif. - Pape Material Handling, Inc., a nationwide company that sells, rents, and services forklift products, will pay...more
Usually, once is not enough, at least in the hostile work environment context. Unless, as the court found in Ronnie L. Outlaw v. SBH Services, Inc., it is. Typically, a single incident of harassment – especially by a...more
Oil and Gas Company Subjected Employee to Racial Harassment, Federal Agency Charged - MINNEAPOLIS - A Texas-based oil and gas company operating in Tioga, N.D., will pay $50,000 and furnish other relief to settle a racial...more
Black Employee Had to Quit Due to Racial Slurs and Harassment, Federal Agency Charges - STATESVILLE, N.C. - Joe's Old Fashioned Bar-B-Que, Inc., doing business as Lancaster's BBQ & Wings, a North Carolina corporation,...more
Over the past decade federal courts have demonstrated a decreasing willingness to tolerate the use of racist language in the workplace. In repeated circumstances, courts have found even a single use of a racial slur...more
Employer Tolerated Repeated Verbal and Physical Racial and Sexual Harassment, Federal Agency Charges - PHOENIX - Riddle Painting and Coatings, an Arizona industrial and commercial painting company, violated federal law...more
Workers at Holtsville Restaurant Used Abusive Language Toward Black Chef, and Restaurant Failed to Stop Harassment, Federal Agency Says - NEW YORK - A popular Tex-Mex restaurant violated federal law when it engaged in...more
Texas-Based Oil and Gas Company Subjected Employee to Racial Abuse, Federal Agency Charged - MINNEAPOLIS - A Texas-based oil and gas company, operating in Tioga, N.D., violated civil rights law by subjecting an...more
Over the past several years, we have reported an increasing number of federal appeals court decisions that have characterized even single instances of certain racial slurs as sufficient to constitute hostile environment...more
It is one of the nightmare scenarios for any HR Department or in-house employment counsel: A white employee directing crude, vicious, racially charged slurs at an African-American employee. Perhaps the most inflammatory of...more
Water Company Fired Foreman Because He Complained about Racial Slurs, Federal Agency Charged - PHILADELPHIA - Aqua Resources Inc., a Delaware-based water and wastewater service company, will pay $150,000 and provide...more
Managers at Warehouse Used Racist Slurs and Assigned Them the Most Difficult Work, Federal Agency Charges - NEW YORK - Aarons, Inc., a nationwide chain of rent-to-own stores, violated federal law when supervisors engaged...more
Melrose Park Company Created a Hostile Work Environment, Including a Noose Display, Federal Agency Charges - CHICAGO - Driven Fence, a Melrose Park fence installation company, created a hostile work environment consisting...more