The EEOC's Chicago District Office sued Bice of Chicago, Inc., d/b/a The Bice Group, Italian RG Inc., on April 15, 2004 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The EEOC's complaint alleged that Bice violated Title VII when it discriminated against a group of employees based on race (Hispanic/non-Italian) and sex (male) by providing disparate conditions of employment, a sexually harassing atmosphere, and constructively or actually discharged numerous employees in retaliation for their complaints. The case proceedings included a few discovery disputes, filed in June and July of 2005, and nearly a dozen status hearings and settlement conferences over the course of the case, nearly all of which were presided over by Magistrate Judge Michael T. Mason. The parties entered into a consent decree on April 18, 2006 which stipulated that Bice would pay $210,000 in damages to the complainants; develop, post and distribute a revised anti-discrimination/harassment policy; provide annual Title VII compliance training for its employees; provide semiannual reports to the EEOC concerning Title VII violation complaints; and allow EEOC inspectors access to its files and employees to ensure compliance with the consent decree. The settlement term was 2 years. The docket sheet does not show any further enforcement; the case was presumably closed in 2008.

Aaron Weismann - 06/19/2007


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