E-commerce firm settles racial harassment and retaliation suit

An e-commerce company will pay $400,000 to settle a racial harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency said Thursday.

The EEOC said in its lawsuit that two black former employees of PRC Industries Inc.’s Reno, Nevada, location endured months of racial taunts and slurs, including hostility from their supervisors.

The suit said that despite the employees’ reports to multiple levels of the Hauppauge, New York-based company’s leadership, they did not intervene. 

The EEOC said that shortly after the workers escalated their complaints to a vice president, one of the harassers fired the workers via text message.

The company was charged with violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Under the three-year consent decree settling the suit, in addition to paying the $400,000 to the two former employees, PRC will retain a consultant to improve and implement policies and procedures, among other provisions.

The company’s lawyer did not respond to a request for comment.