Filed Date: Sept. 25, 2006
Closed Date: Feb. 9, 2009
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The Chicago District Office of the EEOC brought this suit against Land O'Lakes, Inc. in September of 2006, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota. The suit alleged retaliation in violation of Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment, and the Equal Pay Act. The defendant forced terminated employees to sign a statement that they had never filed a complaint with the EEOC and at the time they did not intend to file a complaint in the future. If they refused to sign the document or could not because they had previously filed a compliant then their severance package was reduced. The suit was resolved on February 9, 2007 by a consent decree.
The consent decree contained both monetary and injunctive relief. The defendant was required to offer anybody who did not sign the document and received a lower severance pay the same severance pay as they would have received if they were to have signed the document. The injunctive relief mainly consisted of sending notice to all who signed or refused to sign the Separation and Release Agreement. In this notice the defendant was to inform them that they were able to file a complaint with the EEOC and that the time limitations on a discrimination charge were tolled. They each had 300 days to file a complaint. In addition the defendant was required to send the EEOC a copy of the names of anybody who they sent the letters to. The consent decree is to last for two years. The docket sheet doesn't show any further enforcement took place; the case was presumably closed in 2009.
Summary Authors
Alex Bean (8/10/2007)
Clearinghouse (6/13/2017)
Last updated April 15, 2024, 3:22 a.m.
State / Territory: Minnesota
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Sept. 25, 2006
Closing Date: Feb. 9, 2009
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on behalf of one or more workers.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Land O'Lakes, Inc. (Arden Hills, MN), Private Entity/Person
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), 29 U.S.C. §§ 621 et seq.
Equal Pay Act, 29 U.S.C. § 206(d)
Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Order Duration: 2007 - 2009
Content of Injunction:
Issues
Discrimination-area:
EEOC-centric: