Cullman Company To Pay $100,000 To Settle EEOC Race Discrimination Lawsuit

BIRMINGHAM,  Ala. – McGriff Industries, Inc. and its subsidiary McGriff Transportation, Inc., which operate a truck transportation facility in Cullman, Ala., will pay  $100,000 and furnish other relief to settle a racial harassment and retaliation  lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to the EEOC, certain employees and managers in the Cullman facility routinely used racially derogatory comments, slurs, and insults directed at or about African-Americans. The racial misconduct escalated to threats and intimidation, including a derogatory threat to cut one of the black employees. White and black employees were offended by the racial misconduct, but were rebuffed and retaliated against – one employee was terminated and another had his work assignments changed – when they complained.

The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama Northeastern Division (Civil Action 5:09-CV-01952-IPJ) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement. The settlement, by consent decree, provides for a total payment of $100,000 to Todd A. Roseborough, Sr., Paul Hogan and Aaron Greenwood.

The decree also includes injunctive terms applicable to each of McGriff’s offices, facilities and retail establishments in the state of Alabama. Among other requirements, McGriff must develop and implement effective anti-discrimination policies and procedures, and train its employees, supervisors and managers on the prohibitions against racial misconduct in the workplace. The company will develop a system for reporting, investigating and addressing complaints of workplace racial misconduct; hold all employees accountable for engaging in it; and hold supervisors and managers accountable for tolerating or failing to address such misconduct.