The Dallas District Office of the EEOC filed this suit against Block's Lighthouse Supper Club, Inc. (and related businesses) in September 2003 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The complaint alleged that the defendant subjected female employees to a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the defendant discriminated against female employees on the basis of sex by subjecting them to sexual harassment, including offensive comments and unwelcome touching, resulting in the termination of one of the charging parties. After the defendant's answer to the complaint and some scheduling orders, the parties settled the suit through a consent decree in July 2004.

The provisions of the two-year decree, which included non-discrimination and non-retaliation clauses, required the defendant to: report to the EEOC regarding any new restaurant ownership interest it acquired; post an EEOC-provided notice in each of its restaurants; provide Title VII training to all managers and supervisors; and pay $98,000 in damages, to be distributed among four individual employees.

Kevin Wilemon - 06/01/2007


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