Case: EEOC v. ZENITH INSURANCE COMPANY

2:05-cv-07134 | U.S. District Court for the Central District of California

Filed Date: Sept. 30, 2005

Closed Date: 2009

Clearinghouse coding complete

Case Summary

EEOC's Los Angeles, CA office filed this Title VII lawsuit against the defendant, Zenith Insurance Co., a property insurer that conducts business throughout the U.S.. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles) on 09/30/2005. EEOC alleged that the defendant failed to hire charging party and other black applicants into mailroom positions at its Woodland Hills, California office because of their race. Defendant advertised for a mai…

EEOC's Los Angeles, CA office filed this Title VII lawsuit against the defendant, Zenith Insurance Co., a property insurer that conducts business throughout the U.S.. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles) on 09/30/2005. EEOC alleged that the defendant failed to hire charging party and other black applicants into mailroom positions at its Woodland Hills, California office because of their race. Defendant advertised for a mailroom clerk in September 2001, listing 6 months of mailroom experience as the minimum requirement. Charging party, who had the requisite experience and a degree in graphic arts, applied and was rejected. Defendant readvertised the position in November 2001 and hired a white applicant with no mailroom experience. Defendant rejected a number of other qualified black applicants for mailroom positions, while hiring white candidates. The parties settled three months into the lawsuit and the court entered a consent decree on 01/13/2006.

The parties resolved the case through a 3-year consent decree providing $180,000 in compensatory damages to be distributed to charging party and other claimants at EEOC's discretion. The decree requires defendant to make good faith efforts to obtain a hiring rate of at least 18.3% African Americans in clerical positions at the Woodland Hills facility for each year of the decree. Defendant will report semiannually on its recruitment and hiring efforts, and annually on applicants and hires, by race, for the preceding 6-month period. The docket sheet does not show any further enforcement; the case was presumably closed in 2009.

Summary Authors

Justin Kanter (7/4/2007)

Clearinghouse (6/7/2017)

Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

2:05-cv-07134

Docket

EEOC v. Zenith Insurance Company

Jan. 13, 2006

Jan. 13, 2006

Docket
12

2:05-cv-07134

Consent Decree; Order

EEOC v. Zenith Insurance Company

Jan. 13, 2006

Jan. 13, 2006

Settlement Agreement

2:05-cv-07134

EEOC Litigation Settlement Report

EEOC v. Zenith Insurance Company

No Court

Jan. 24, 2006

Jan. 24, 2006

Press Release

Resources

Docket

Last updated Feb. 15, 2024, 3:06 a.m.

ECF Number Description Date Link Date / Link
1

COMPLAINT against defendant Zenith Insurance Company.(No fee required) Jury Demanded. , filed by plaintiff US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (rrey, ) (Entered: 10/04/2005)

Sept. 30, 2005

Sept. 30, 2005

20 Day Summons Issued re Complaint - (Discovery)[1] as to Zenith Insurance Company. (rrey, ) (Entered: 10/04/2005)

Sept. 30, 2005

Sept. 30, 2005

2

CERTIFICATION AS TO Interested Parties filed by Plaintiff US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (rrey, ) (Entered: 10/04/2005)

Sept. 30, 2005

Sept. 30, 2005

4

NOTICE TO PARTIES OF ADR PILOT PROGRAM filed.(rrey, ) (Entered: 10/04/2005)

Sept. 30, 2005

Sept. 30, 2005

FAX number for Attorney Peter F Laura, Anna Y Park, Cherry-Marie D Rojas is 213-894-1301. (rrey, ) (Entered: 10/04/2005)

Sept. 30, 2005

Sept. 30, 2005

3

STANDING ORDER: That all counsel are ordered to familiarize themselves with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Local Rules of the Central District of California (See document for further details) by Judge Percy Anderson(ir, ) (Entered: 10/04/2005)

Oct. 3, 2005

Oct. 3, 2005

5

WAIVER OF SERVICE of Summons Returned Executed filed by Plaintiff US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. upon Zenith Insurance Company waiver sent by Plaintiff on 10/7/2005, answer due 12/6/2005. Waiver of Service signed by Wendy A Wolf, Attorney for Defendant Zenith Insurance Company (dw, ) (Entered: 11/17/2005)

Nov. 14, 2005

Nov. 14, 2005

6

JOINT STIPULATION AND ORDER by Judge Percy Anderson: to extend time to file responsive pleading to Complaint - (Discovery)[1] to file responsive pleading from December 6, 2005 to December 23, 2005. (shb, ) (Entered: 12/08/2005)

Dec. 7, 2005

Dec. 7, 2005

7

NOTICE of Change of Attorney Information: Attorney Cherry-Marie D Rojas will no longer receive service of documents from the Clerks Office for the reason indicated in the G-06 Notice. Filed by Plaintiff US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (yl, ) (Entered: 12/13/2005)

Dec. 8, 2005

Dec. 8, 2005

8

NOTICE of Settlement filed by Plaintiff US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.Settlement papers due by 1/21/2006. (dw, ) (Entered: 12/21/2005)

Dec. 20, 2005

Dec. 20, 2005

9

MINUTES OF IN CHAMBERS ORDER by Judge Percy Anderson: Parties have 10 days from the date of this order or until the next scheduled court appearance whichever is shorter to file with the court a dismissal of the action or to appear in person or telephonically with their clients to place the settlement on the record. (See document for further information)Court Reporter: Not Reported. (dw, ) (Entered: 12/29/2005)

Dec. 29, 2005

Dec. 29, 2005

11

ORDER by Judge Percy Anderson,of dismissal. IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that this action is hereby dismissed without costs and without prejudice to the right upon good cause shown within 14 days to re-open the action if settlement is not consummated. This court retains full jurisdiction over this action for the fourteen days period and this order shall not prejudice any party to this action. (Made JS-6. Case Terminated.)(yc, ) (Entered: 01/23/2006)

Jan. 6, 2006

Jan. 6, 2006

10

MINUTES OF Status Conference held before Judge Percy Anderson: The parties place the settlement on the record.Court Reporter: Jennifer Cheshire. (dw, ) (Entered: 01/13/2006)

Jan. 9, 2006

Jan. 9, 2006

12

CONSENT DECREE; ORDER by Judge Percy Anderson: The provision of the foregoing Consent Decree are hereby approved and compliance with all provision thereof is HEREBY ORDERED. (dw, ) (Entered: 01/24/2006)

Jan. 13, 2006

Jan. 13, 2006

Clearinghouse

Case Details

State / Territory: California

Case Type(s):

Equal Employment

Special Collection(s):

EEOC Study — in sample

IWPR/Wage Project Consent Decree Study

Key Dates

Filing Date: Sept. 30, 2005

Closing Date: 2009

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

Zenith Insurance Company (Woodland Hills, CA), 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

Amount Defendant Pays: 180000

Order Duration: 2006 - 2009

Content of Injunction:

Discrimination Prohibition

Retaliation Prohibition

Develop anti-discrimination policy

Utilize objective job description

Utilize objective hiring/promotion criteria

Follow recruitment, hiring, or promotion protocols

Comply with advertising/recruiting requirements

Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention

Post/Distribute Notice of Rights / EE Law

Provide antidiscrimination training

Implement complaint/dispute resolution process

Reporting

Recordkeeping

Auditing

Goals (e.g., for hiring, admissions)

Issues

Discrimination-area:

Disparate Treatment

Hiring

Discrimination-basis:

Race discrimination

Race:

Black

EEOC-centric:

Direct Suit on Merits