Though it may be difficult for some to imagine, workers in California today are still subjected to harassment, retaliation and discrimination in the workplace. However, these issues are unfortunately still seen across every sector and even in some large and distinguished companies. Recently, an article reported that Farmers Insurance Exchange settled a wrongful termination, retaliation and discrimination claim that was filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
According to the lawsuit filed by the EEOC, Farmers fired two Asian-American workers for improper coding in 2009. The suit alleges that similar actions were not taken by the company against other workers of different races that exhibited the same conduct. In addition, the EEOC charged the company with terminating another employee in retaliation for testifying before the EEOC during its investigation.
Under a consent decree approved by a U.S. District Court judge, Farmers agreed to pay $225,000 to the three employees in order to settle the case. In addition, the company agreed to several sanctions, such as the publication and distribution of its updated policies relating to discrimination, complaint procedures and retaliation. Farmers agreed to also provide additional annual training for human resources personnel and managers, and will report to the EEOC on a scheduled basis.
Though thankfully becoming less frequent, these situations still occur in America’s workplaces. Prior to filing an EEOC claim, a California worker facing a similar wrongful termination, discrimination or retaliation claim may benefit from contacting an attorney with experience in employment law. This type of attorney will be in the best position to discuss options and help his or her clients determine the best courses of action based on their unique situations.
Source: insurancejournal.com, “Farmers to Pay $225K to Settle EEOC Race Discrimination Case in California“, Nov. 3, 2016