The Atlanta District Office of the EEOC brought this action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, against Applebee's Neighborhood Bar & Grill of Georgia, Inc. The complaint, filed in March 2002, alleged color discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the complaint alleged the charging party, an African American, with dark skin, was harassed by one of Defendant's managers, an African American with light skin, and was subsequently terminated when he complained about the harassment.

In July 2003, the parties entered a consent decree which was valid for 18 months. The decree prohibited Defendant from discriminating and harassing in violation of Title VII and required Defendant to pay the charging party a total of $40,000 ($15,000 in back pay and $25,000 in emotional distress damages). Defendant was also required to provide the charging party with a neutral employment reference; post a notice of non-discrimination at its facility; provide its human resources managers with anti-discrimination/anti-harassment training; instruct its managers and supervisors as to the terms of the decree; make regular reports to the EEOC about any internal discrimination complaints; and designate a compliance official to be responsible for Defendant's compliance with the decree.

Shankar Viswanathan - 06/28/2007


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