/>iRestaurant Refused to Hire Male Applicants for Bartender Positions, Federal Agency Charges
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - R Wings R Wild, LLC, doing business as Buffalo Wild Wings, will pay $30,000 to three claimants who were denied jobs in Little Rock, Ark. and Del City, Okla., because they are male, as part of the settlement of a sex discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit, the company refused to hire males into bartender positions at locations in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Sex discrimination violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Western Division, Civil Action No. 4:17-cv-624-BRW, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The suit seeks monetary relief in the form of back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, compensation for lost benefits, and an injunction against future discrimination.
While denying any wrongdoing, RWRW chose to resolve this matter prior to trial. The EEOC commends RWRW for working with it to resolve this lawsuit.
In addition to the monetary payment, the company will also conduct sex discrimination training for its management employees in Little Rock and Del City locations.
"Sex discrimination happens to both males and females, and Title VII protects both genders against this illegal misconduct," said Faye A. Williams, regional attorney of the EEOC's Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee, and portions of Mississippi. "It is equally illegal to deny a male employment because of his gender."
Buffalo Wild Wings, an Arkansas limited-liability company and owns and operates Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in Arkansas and Oklahoma.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
Source: https://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/newsroom/release/1-29-19.cfm
