San Antonio Race Bias Lawsuit

In an August 14, 2009 Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) Press Release, the federal agency announced filing of a federal lawsuit against an apartment management company in which attorneys charge that the company violated federal law by punishing a white manager for hiring a black employee at a San Antonio apartment complex.  See, http://www.eeoc.gov/press/8-14-09a.html .  According to the EEOC Press Release, the company demoted a white property manager because he hired a well-qualified African American employee as a leasing agent at an apartment complex in San Antonio.  Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  An EEOC attorney with the San Antonio field office said “Demoting an employee in retaliation for opposing perceived discrimination cannot be ignored.”  Another EEOC attorney in the San Antonio field office added, “It is unlawful for an employer to demote or discharge an employees with hiring authority simply for hiring a black applicant.”  In this regard, the EEOC is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including racial bias and retaliation for complaining about racial bias.  Further information about the EEOC is available in the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov .  Whether race discrimination in the workplace occurs in San Antonio or elsewhere, victims of employment related racial bias 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 racial bias claim.