In September 2006, the EEOC's Seattle Field Office filed this suit in U.S. District Court, District of Montana, against Les Schwab Tire Centers of Montana, Inc. and Les Schwab Tire Warehouse, Inc. The complaint was brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; it alleged that the defendant had harassed a Native American employee because of his race, and then retaliated against him when he complained.

Judge Donald W. Molloy was assigned to the case. The employee who was allegedly discriminated against intervened in the EEOC's suit. On February 19, 2008, the defendant filed two separate motions for partial summary judgment.

On April 21, 2008, the parties filed a joint motion for settlement conference. The following day, the court granted the motion and the parties began negotiations.

Those negotiations led quickly to a settlement. On June 27, 2008, the defendant filed an unopposed motion to dismiss the intervenor’s claims and the EEOC filed a proposed consent decree. Judge Molloy granted both that same day. In exchange for resolving all issues and claims arising out of the EEOC’s complaint, the defendant agreed to monetary and injunctive relief that would last two years, without admitting guilt. The complainant received $185,000 in damages and the defendant agreed to various injunctive provisions including training, reporting, and promising that its managers and employees would not engage in practices which constitute harassment based on an employee’s race or retaliation. The court retained jurisdiction to enforce the injunction for two years.

There is no further activity in the docket, so presumably the case closed without incident in 2010.

Shankar Viswanathan - 05/28/2008
Jake Parker - 05/22/2018


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