Home Depot settles $5.5m discrimination case
US DIY retailer denies allegations
Home Depot, the world’s biggest home improvement retailer, is to pay $5.5m to settle a discrimination case bought by employeees at its Colorado stores.
The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the simultaneous filing and settlement of a class action brought by Home Depot employees claiming that there was “a hostile work environment based on gender, race, and national origin, and that the company retaliated against employees who complained about discrimination”.
The EEOC said Home Depot, which has around 35 stores in Colorado, denies the allegations. The voluntary $5.5m settlement to current and former employees will need the approval of a US District Judge in Colorado. It includes $3m to be shared between the 38 individuals who jointly filed the action, and $2.5m to set up a fund for others who were harmed by the alleged discrimination.
In addition, the deal agreed between the retailer and the EEOC calls for Home Depot to provide anti-discrimination training to employees including manager, and human resource employees, appoint an EEO Coordinator to oversee the investigations of employee complaints of discrimination, and submit quarterly reports to the EEOC and remain under monitoring for 30 months.
Joseph Mitchell, an EEOC regional attorney, said: “We commend Home Depot for working cooperatively with us to resolve this case. Without the willingness of Home Depot to mediate and bring prompt closure, this case could have taken years to litigate. Instead, the parties were able to work collaboratively to bring this matter to an amicable resolution that satisfied the interests of all the parties concerned.”
