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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—A Little Rock, Ark., real estate firm has reached a $600,000 settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of a lawsuit in which it was charged with race discrimination and retaliation, the agency said Wednesday.
The EEOC said Bankers Asset Management Inc. allegedly excluded black applicants for jobs at the company's Little Rock location based on their race.
The firm also was charged with retaliating against other employees and former employees for opposing or testifying about the race discrimination by demoting and forcing one worker out of her job and by suing others in state court.
In addition to paying $600,000, the three-year consent decree settling the lawsuit also requires Bankers Asset Management to hold a mandatory, annual three-hour training on race discrimination and retaliation in which its president or another officer participates, among other provisions.
EEOC General Counsel David Lopez said in a statement, “Excluding qualified individuals from job opportunities because of their race or in retaliation for exercising protected rights are fundamental violations of the laws we enforce.
“As this case demonstrates, the EEOC is prepared to vigorously pursue such cases and resolutions that help ensure that workplaces will be free from discrimination. Recent cases we have filed alleging hiring discrimination, such as our suit against Bass Pro, demonstrate this continued commitment.”
The EEOC charged Springfield, Mo.-based Bass Pro Outdoor World L.L.C., a 60-store sporting goods retailer, with engaging in a pattern of failing to hire African-American and Hispanic job applicants in September. The company has denied the charges.
A Bankers Asset Management spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.