Case: EEOC v. INNOVATIVE FOOD PROCESSORS, INC.

0:00-cv-02230 | U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

Filed Date: Sept. 29, 2000

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

In September 2000, the Minneapolis Office of the EEOC brought this lawsuit against IFP, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota alleging discrimination on the basis of race and national origin in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by creating a hostile work environment for Hispanic employees. We do not have a copy of the complaint; therefore, the exact allegations involved are unknown. A consent decree was proposed shortly after the defendant's answer…

In September 2000, the Minneapolis Office of the EEOC brought this lawsuit against IFP, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota alleging discrimination on the basis of race and national origin in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by creating a hostile work environment for Hispanic employees. We do not have a copy of the complaint; therefore, the exact allegations involved are unknown. A consent decree was proposed shortly after the defendant's answer in October 2000, and was accepted in December 2000.

The thirty-month decree, containing a non-discrimination clause, required the defendant to pay a specified amount of money to all class members based upon the number of days they had worked for defendant, expunge the employment records of class members, not restrict employees from speaking languages other than English in their facilities during non-working times and permit other languages to be spoken unless business necessity required otherwise, modify defendant's hiring policies and anti-discrimination policy, provide workplace diversity training, support English classes for Hispanic workers and Spanish classes for supervisors and translate employee handbooks and benefit packages into other languages as requested.

Summary Authors

David Friedman (10/18/2007)

Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

0:00-cv-02230

Docket [PACER]

EEOC v. IFP, Inc

May 22, 2001

May 22, 2001

Docket
5

0:00-cv-02230

Order for Consent Decree

EEOC v. IFP, Inc.

Oct. 10, 2000

Oct. 10, 2000

Settlement Agreement

Resources

Docket

Last updated March 20, 2024, 3:11 a.m.

ECF Number Description Date Link Date / Link
1

COMPLAINT - Summons issued. Assigned to Judge Donovan W. Frank per Individual Civil Rights list and referred to Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan. (7pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 09/29/2000)

Sept. 29, 2000

Sept. 29, 2000

2

ANSWER by deft. (3pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 10/04/2000)

Oct. 3, 2000

Oct. 3, 2000

3

NOTICE OF PRETRIAL CONFERENCE ( Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan / 10/06/00) pretrial status conference set for 1:45 p.m. on 11/14/00; Rule 26(f) report ddl set for 11/7/00 (4pg(s) (cc: all (DDB) (Entered: 10/11/2000)

Oct. 6, 2000

Oct. 6, 2000

4

NOTICE OF CANCELATION ( Magistrate Judge Arthur J. Boylan / 10/10/00) that the pretrial conference scheduled to be held on 11/14/00, at 1:45 p.m. has been canceled. The case is settled (1pg(s) (cc: all counsel) (DDB) Modified on 10/11/2000 (Entered: 10/11/2000)

Oct. 10, 2000

Oct. 10, 2000

5

ORDER AND CONSENT DECREE ( Judge Donovan W. Frank ) regarding settlement & class action (14pg(s)(cc: all counsel) (DDB) (Entered: 10/13/2000)

Oct. 10, 2000

Oct. 10, 2000

6

RELEASE by Robert Dominguez. 4pgs (VEM) (Entered: 10/27/2000)

Oct. 27, 2000

Oct. 27, 2000

7

JOINT MEMORANDUM by pltf & deft in support of Final Approval of Consent Decree [5-2]. (13pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 12/13/2000)

Dec. 12, 2000

Dec. 12, 2000

8

DECLARATION of Laurie Vasichek re pltf & deft's joint memorandum in support of the fianl approval of the Consent Decree [5-2]. (28pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 12/13/2000)

Dec. 12, 2000

Dec. 12, 2000

10

NOTICE by pltf of Proposed Class Action Settlement, dated 10/19/00 & 11/30/00 in English & Spanish. (20pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 12/18/2000)

Dec. 12, 2000

Dec. 12, 2000

11

MINUTES:( Judge Donovan W. Frank / Bruce Tiffany) Settlement Fairing Hearing. Final approval of consent decree - Granted. (1pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 12/19/2000)

Dec. 15, 2000

Dec. 15, 2000

12

ORDER ( Judge Donovan W. Frank / 12/18/00) that 1. The Consent Decree is finally approved. The Court finds that the relief afforded pursuant to the Consent Decree is fair, adequate, reasonable, lawful, and not contrary to public policy. (15pg(s) (cc: all counsel) (DDB) (Entered: 12/19/2000)

Dec. 18, 2000

Dec. 18, 2000

13

ATTORNEY SUBSTITUTION: terminating attorney Frederick E Finch for IFP, Inc and substituting attorney Daniel L Palmquist. (3pg(s) (DDB) (Entered: 05/24/2001)

May 22, 2001

May 22, 2001

Case Details

State / Territory: Minnesota

Case Type(s):

Equal Employment

Special Collection(s):

EEOC Study — in sample

Key Dates

Filing Date: Sept. 29, 2000

Case Ongoing: No

Plaintiffs

Plaintiff Description:

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on behalf of one or more workers.

Plaintiff Type(s):

EEOC Plaintiff

Attorney Organizations:

EEOC

Public Interest Lawyer: Yes

Filed Pro Se: No

Class Action Sought: No

Class Action Outcome: Not sought

Defendants

IFP, Inc (Faribault), Private Entity/Person

IFP, Inc. (Faribault, Minnesota), Private Entity/Person

Case Details

Causes of Action:

Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e

Available Documents:

Trial Court Docket

Monetary Relief

Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief

Outcome

Prevailing Party: Plaintiff

Nature of Relief:

Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement

Damages

Source of Relief:

Settlement

Form of Settlement:

Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree

Order Duration: 2000 - 2003

Content of Injunction:

Expungement of Employment Record

Discrimination Prohibition

Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention

Post/Distribute Notice of Rights / EE Law

Provide antidiscrimination training

Issues

Discrimination-area:

Disparate Treatment

Harassment / Hostile Work Environment

Discrimination-basis:

National origin discrimination

Race discrimination

EEOC-centric:

Direct Suit on Merits

National Origin/Ethnicity:

Hispanic

Indian