In September 2004, the Houston District Office of the EEOC brought this suit against Gilbert Plumbing Company, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The complaint alleged that the defendant subjected the charging parties, Hispanic employees, to a racially hostile work environment and denied them wages and sick leave in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After some scheduling orders, the defendant filed a motion for summary judgment which was denied as moot when the parties reached a tentative settlement agreement in February 2006. The parties entered into a final settlement agreement in April 2006 through a consent decree.

The five-year decree, containing non-discrimination and non-retaliation clauses, required the defendant to: provide the charging parties with neutral employment references, expunge the charging parties' personnel files from all references to the charges of discrimination, refuse to employ the harasser in any way, develop a harassment and complaint procedure, report to the EEOC at specified intervals, provide annual EEO training to all its employees, post a notice of rights, maintain relevant records, and pay $13,000 to be divided between two individuals. The docket sheet does not show any further enforcement took place; the case was presumably closed in 2011.

Michele Marxkors - 08/08/2007
- 06/15/2017


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