In February 2002, the EEOC's Baltimore District Office filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against L.A. Weight Loss, a company that at the time operated over 400 "weight loss centers" nationwide. The complaint alleged a "pattern or practice" of failing to hire men, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC also alleged that L.A. Weight Loss fired a female employee in retaliation when she complained about the company's hiring practices.

Shortly after the suit was filed, the discharged female employee intervened as a plaintiff. In November of 2005, she and the defendant came to terms on a settlement. The EEOC's case continued on, despite repeated settlement conferences before Magistrate Judge Paul W. Grimm. In 2007, the parties both moved for summary judgment; the defendant's motion was denied, and the EEOC's motion was granted in part and denied in part.

In early 2007, LA Weight Loss changed its name to Pure Weight Loss. In January of 2008, Pure Weight Loss filed a Chapter 7 petition for bankruptcy. On March 19, 2008, the bankruptcy trustee filed a motion to stay the proceedings for six months. Judge William D Quarles, Jr denied the motion to stay proceedings on May 20, 2008.

The parties negotiated a consent decree, which Judge William D Quarles, Jr. approved on December 1, 2008. According to the EEOC website, the consent decree included a $20 million claim in bankruptcy (16,842,656 in back pay and $3,157,344 in punitive damages) payable to the men who the EEOC deemed were subjected to discrimination from L.A. Weight Loss's illegal hiring practices from January 1, 1997 through the entry of the decree. The consent decree also included injunctive relief. It prohibited the company from discriminating against job applicants and employees on the basis of sex and from retaliating against employees. It required the company to use an electronic tracking system for applicants, to retain information on applicants based on categories defined by the EEOC, and to create a discrimination-complaint procedure. The decree provided relief for the men discriminated against under the old practices by requiring the company to hire some of them. Lastly, the decree set hiring goals for Pure Weight Loss and mandated that the company do quarterly reviews to assess its progress. This 10-year consent degree is set to expire in 2018.

Jason Chester - 05/28/2008
Mackenzie Walz - 03/22/2018


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