Meridian Mississippi Discrimination Lawsuit

In a May 3, 2010 news release, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced at http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/5-3-10.cfm that a Meridian, Mississippi nursing home will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief to settle an age and race discrimination lawsuit filed by EEOC attorneys on behalf of a 53-year-old black female who claimed she was denied a social worker position because of her age and race.  According to the news release, EEOC attorneys charged in the discrimination lawsuit that the company refused to consider her for the position even though she had 27-plus years experience as a social worker.  Instead, the EEOC said, a less qualified 34-year-old white female was the only candidate interviewed and then hired. 

The EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including age and race discrimination.  The EEOC’s Birmingham District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement, and the conduct of agency litigation in Alabama, Mississippi, and Northern Florida, with Area Offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama.  In this regard, EEOC attorneys filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Mississippi after first attempting to reach a voluntary pre-litigation settlement.  Further information about the EEOC and the federal laws it enforces is avaliable at www.eeoc.gov .   

Whether employment discrimination occurs in Mississippi or elsewhere, victims of workplace age and race discrimination or harassment may contact the EEOC and an attorney to determine if an employment discrimination lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular facts and circumstances of the potential discrimination claim.