Health Care Service Company Underpaid a Class of Female Nurses Based on their Sex and Retaliated Against a Female Nurse for Complaining
PHILADELPHIA – AccentCare, a nationwide home health care service company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, violated federal civil rights laws by paying female employees less than a male colleague because of their sex and retaliating against a female employee who repeatedly complained, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, female Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) working out of AccentCare’s Pottsville, Pennsylvania, location were paid less than their male colleague for performing equal work, despite their superior qualifications. After a female LPN repeatedly complained about the gender-based pay disparity and requested a raise, AccentCare retaliated against her, and ultimately fired her.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits pay discrimination based on sex and retaliation for opposing sex discrimination. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania (EEOC v. AccentCare, Inc., Case No. 3:24-cv-01646-RDM, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
“Employers cannot pay female employees less than their male colleagues because of sex,” said Debra Lawrence, the EEOC’s Regional Attorney in Philadelphia. “Retaliating against an employee who raises these concerns and seeks to correct the disparity further exacerbates the legal violation.”
EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office Director Jamie Williamson said, “Addressing gender-based pay discrimination is a priority for the Commission. Paying women less than their male colleague for performing the same core duties is simply unfair and illegal.”
For more information about equal pay and compensation discrimination, visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/equal-paycompensation-discrimination. For more information on retaliation, see: https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.
The EEOC’s Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.
The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
