The Houston District Office of the EEOC filed this suit against Mercantile Thrift Stores Inc., who own and operate Value Villages, in April of 2002, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The basis of the suit was discrimination against African-Americans in their hiring process in addition to retaliation against one of the complainants. From the docket it appears that the case proceeded rather slowly and without any major events. Eventually the parties settled the case.

The settlement included injunctive relief as well as monetary relief. The class of complainants were to be given preferential hiring treatment which included being the first people offered entry level jobs, and a piece of the $100,000 placed in an escrow fund. Also notice of Title VII rights were to be posted in all Value Village Stores and the defendant was to keep records of African-American applications. The $100,000 in damages was to be paid mostly to the victim of the retaliation, and then the remainder to be split up as deemed appropriate by the EEOC.

Alex Bean - 06/04/2007


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