On March 30, 2007 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) brought a lawsuit pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida against Saturn of St. Petersburg, Inc. (Saturn) and its parent company.

The EEOC claimed that Saturn retaliated against three individuals for filing charges of race discrimination against the company; Saturn allegedly retaliated by interfering with those individuals' employment relationships. The EEOC sought injunctive relief, as well as monetary relief for the three individuals.

The three men, on whose behalf this suit is filed, worked for a car detailer that operated on Saturn's premises. Each of the individuals applied for a job with Saturn, and each was rejected; they subsequently filed charges with the EEOC against Saturn on the basis of race discrimination. Approximately fifteen days after the charges were filed, Saturn directed the detail company to discharge the three employees, which it subsequently did.

The District Court (Judge Steven D. Merryday) on March 24, 2008, approved a settlement agreement between the parties. Under the decree, which was to last for three years, Saturn was required to establish a written policy prohibiting unlawful retaliation in the workplace, as well as six hours annually of training on the policy for its managers. The decree also required that Saturn place a warning in the file of the general manager of the dealership for violating the no retaliation policy. Finally, Saturn was required to pay $75,000 in total to the three individuals involved.

Adam Teitelbaum - 03/18/2010


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