Gannett Companies Settles Disability Discrimination Lawsuit with EEOC

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has settled its retaliation suit filed against Cognis/BASF Corporation for $500,000.  The suit alleged that the corporation retaliated against at least six employees for refusing to sign an agreement that would prohibit them from ever filing a discrimination charge with the EEOC. 

The suit charges that five of the employees eventually agreed to sign the “last chance agreement,” but the corporation fired the sixth employee when he expressed his concerns about the agreements effect on his civil rights.  This alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

 The decree settling the case will provide monetary relief to the retaliation victims and require the corporation to report all Title VII complaints to the EEOC for the next two years, train its employees on prohibited retaliation actions under government non-discrimination laws, and create a new policy that will inform employees of their rights to oppose discrimination.

The Employment Law Group® law firm has an extensive discrimination practice and has broad experience fighting for the rights of employees who have been victims of discrimination and retaliation by their employers.