For many, it is difficult to imagine that workers in today’s society are still subjected to harassment, retaliation and discrimination. However, these practices are unfortunately still seen across every sector and even in some distinguished and long-standing companies. Recently, a story broke about a renowned California bakery that finally settled a wrongful termination lawsuit.
Peter’s Bakery is a company in San Jose that was established over 75 years ago. Though its baked goods are sought after by many in the area, it has been dogged by racism and discrimination charges over the past years. When the EEOC was unable to reach a settlement with the owner over the firing of a Hispanic employee, officials took him to court.
The court found that the employee was subjected to verbal harassment about her ethnicity and was fired without cause. In addition, the court found that the owner, Charles Peters, engaged in retaliation by filing a defamation lawsuit against the employee after she reported the harassment to the EEOC. The consent decree that the court returned requires the owner, Charles Peters, to pay the employee back wages of $40,000. Additionally, Peters must receive anti-discrimination training, and the company will be required to develop equal employment opportunity policies in order to ensure that this does not occur again.
Though thankfully becoming rarer, these types of situations still occur in America’s workplaces. Prior to the pursuit of filing wrongful termination claim, California workers facing similar situations may benefit from contacting an attorney with experience in employment law. This type of attorney will be in the best position to discuss the options available based upon the client’s unique employment issues.
Source: natlawreview.com, “Peters’ Bakery to Pay $40,000 to Settle EEOC Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit“, June 12, 2016