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Member, Beacon International Group, Ltd.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has reached a $900,000 settlement with a dating agency that allegedly refused to hire men as dating directors and sales representatives.
The EEOC said Monday that Hallandale Beach, Fla.-based It’s Just Lunch USA L.L.C. also fired its human resources director, Lynda Twist, in retaliation for opposition its sex-based hiring practices.
The EEOC said that under terms of the agreement, Ms. Twist will receive $130,369.
The remaining settlement funds will be put into an account to be distributed to a class of qualified male job applicants who applied for dating director and inside sales representative positions with the company from 2007 to the present, but who were not hired.
The EEOC said the agreement also requires It’s Just Lunch to implement a detailed applicant tracking system; provide training to managers, human resources personnel and employees; and provide quarterly hiring reports to the EEOC for three years.
“Employers cannot refuse to hire applicants based on unfounded sex stereotypes. Moreover, employees who raise legitimate concerns about their employer’s employment practices must be able to raise those concerns without fear of unlawful retaliation,” Malcolm Medley, director of the EEOC’s Miami district office, said in a statement.
A company spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.