In April 2003, the EEOC's Chicago District Office brought this suit against Norwegian American Hospital in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleging violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint alleged that the defendant subjected the charging party, a female employee, to a hostile work environment because of her religion, Islam, by making offensive religious comments to her and subjecting her to different terms and conditions of employment. In addition, the defendant retaliated against the charging party for reporting the religious discrimination. The parties began negotiating a settlement in February 2004 and reached a final agreement in January 2005.

Under the terms of the eighteen-month decree, which contained both non-discrimination and non-retaliation clauses, the defendant agreed to: pay the charging party $40,000; post an EEOC-provided notice; maintain records of all religious discrimination complaints; provide semi-annual written reports to the EEOC; provide Title VII training to the Human Resource Director, Vice President of Patient Services, and all certified midwives; and distribute an anti-discrimination policy regarding religious discrimination to all employees.

Michele Marxkors - 06/04/2007


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