Black Employee Denied Performance Evaluation and Raise, Then Fired Because of Race, Federal Agency Charged
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lone Wolf Resources, L.L.C., an environmental remediation and construction services company based in Texas will pay $50,000 and furnish other relief to settle a race discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the federal agency announced today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Lone Wolf management at the company’s Jacksonville location referred to Black employees using racial slurs. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that a Lone Wolf manager referred to a Black employee as a “blue gum monkey,” called him the “N-word” and called black people “lazy.” Lone Wolf gave the Black employee less desirable assignments, denied him an annual performance evaluation and raise, and then fired him when he complained about obtaining that evaluation.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division (EEOC v. Lone Wolf Resources, L.L.C., Civil Action No. 3:21-cv-00979-TJC-PDB) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
The three-year consent decree resolving the EEOC’s lawsuit has been approved by the federal court. In addition to paying $50,000 in monetary relief, Lone Wolf is required to develop and distribute a written anti-discrimination policy and to conduct anti-discrimination training for its workforce. The company must also appoint a human resources director and post a notice at its worksites about the lawsuit, as well as submit written reports twice a year to the EEOC.
“This decree reflects the EEOC’s attention to enforcing Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” said Robert Weisberg, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Miami District. “It’s despicable that Black employees continue to be subjected to vile racial slurs in the workplace. When necessary, the EEOC will take legal action to address such conduct.”
EEOC Acting Miami District Director Roberto Chavez added, “Discriminating against individuals because of their race is a long-standing violation of federal law. This resolution is consistent with the EEOC’s mission of eradicating race discrimination from our nation’s workplace.”
For more information on race and color discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination.
The EEOC’s Miami District Office is comprised of the Miami, Tampa, and San Juan EEOC offices, and has jurisdiction over Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
