The Seattle office of the EEOC brought this action in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, against Howard S. Wright Construction Company. The complaint, filed in August 2006, alleged age discrimination in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; specifically that Defendant had discharged the charging party based on his age (60). In April 2007, the parties proposed a consent decree and it was signed two weeks later.

The decree, valid for 2 years, required Defendant to pay charging party a total of 18,977.20 ($6,560.40 in back pay, $2,928.20 as a benefit contribution and $9,488.60 in liquidated damages). Defendant was enjoined from discriminating, and required to provide annual EEO training to employees, post a notice of non-discrimination at its facility, distribute an EEO policy sheet to its employees, discipline any managers who discriminate and report to the EEOC annually on its compliance with the decree. Defendant was also required to provide neutral references for the charging party if asked by another employer.

Shankar Viswanathan - 06/22/2007


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