Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, EEOC NEWS—$21.5M recovered for workers allegedly aggrieved by national origin, pregnancy, race, religious, or sex discrimination, (Jul 30, 2025)

By Pamela Wolf, J.D.

Columbia University will pay $21 million to resolve alleged civil rights violations against employees following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks; the university also agreed to a $200 million fine.

The EEOC separately announced its recovery of a combined $21,570,000 in relief from employers in Colorado, New York, Texas, and Alabama to resolve various allegations of national origin, pregnancy, religious, race, and/or sex discrimination and retaliation. The federal agency also filed a new lawsuit against a North Carolina employer challenging alleged sexual harassment and discrimination.

Sexual harassment and discrimination. Pursuant to a three-year consent decree, Chris The Crazy Trader, Inc., dba Christopher’s Dodge Ram, fka Christopher’s Dodge World, in Golden, Colorado, will pay $480,000 and provide other relief to settle an EEOC sex, race, and national origin harassment and retaliation lawsuit. The company violated Title VII when employees and managers allegedly used derogatory and demeaning language toward female employees and touched them inappropriately. A female employee purportedly observed a director at the dealership watching pornography while at work and soon after, he cornered her in a room and made inappropriate sexual comments. The company fired her shortly after she complained about the encounter, according to the agency. A manager allegedly offered female employees money in exchange for physical and/or sexual acts, made frequent sexually inappropriate comments in messages on social media, and pressed his body inappropriately against employees of both sexes.

Racially hostile work environment. Christopher’s Dodge Ram also violated Title VII when the manager participated in a racially hostile work environment, frequently commenting on black and/or African employees’ skin color and bodies, the EEOC asserted. Other employees also made derogatory and racially offensive comments, including slurs, contributing to the racially hostile work environment towards black/African and Latino/Hispanic employees. The EEOC said the company knew about the harassment but failed to act and allowed it to worsen.

As part of the settlement, Christopher’s Dodge Ram will also provide EEO training for managers and employees, written discipline for harassers, and EEO policies. Additionally, it will post notices and report to the EEOC.

The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the District of Colorado; the case is No. 1:21-cv-02666-NYW-TPO.

Campus antisemitism. Columbia University will pay $21 million for a class settlement fund to resolve alleged civil rights violations against Columbia employees occurring on its campus following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks. The settlement resolves EEOC charges, including a Commissioner’s Charge brought by Acting Chair Andrea Lucas in 2024 on behalf of a class of all Jewish employees, alleging that since at least October 7, 2023, Columbia engaged in a pattern or practice of harassment based on national origin, religion, and/or race, in violation of Title VII. This resolution represents the largest EEOC public settlement in nearly 20 years for any form of discrimination or harassment, according to the federal agency. In addition, in the EEOC’s 60-year history, this is both the largest EEOC settlement for victims of antisemitism to date, as well as the most significant EEOC settlement for workers of any faith or religion.

No admission of liability. As part of a broader agreement with the Trump administration, Columbia chose to voluntarily resolve the charges without admission of liability, to avoid an extended dispute. Under the multi-year agreement, the university will establish a $21 million class claims fund to compensate employees who may have experienced antisemitism on Columbia’s campus post-October 7, 2023.

More about the settlement. As part of a multi-agency agreement, Columbia also agreed to a $200 million fine, as well as robust compliance monitoring and other injunctive relief.

To identify additional potential aggrieved individuals, a claims administrator will send a notice to all Columbia employees, including faculty (including tenured, non-tenured, and adjunct professors), staff, and other employees (including, but not limited to, students employed by the university).

Addressing antisemitism at work:

• EEOC Fact Sheet: What To Do If You Face Antisemitism at Work.

• EEOC’s Unanimous Resolution Condemning Violence, Harassment, and Bias Against Jewish Persons in the United States.

• EEOC’s Religious Discrimination Enforcement Guidance:

• Training on Combating Antisemitism in the Workplace by Acting Chair (then Commissioner) Lucas with the Louis D. Brandeis Center.

“Under the guise of promoting free speech, many universities have actually become a haven for antisemitic conduct, often in violation of the universities’ own time, place, and manner policies, as well as civil rights law,” EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas said. “The Trump administration is committed to combatting antisemitism wherever it rears its head, including the workplace—and universities are workplaces too. No employee should be subjected to harassment based on their faith or Jewish identity.” She added, “We commend Columbia for providing a robust claims fund to remedy alleged antisemitism harassment that may have been experienced by its employees.”

Job offer rescinded because of sex. Under a three-year consent decree, HSS Security, LLC, will pay $35,000 and provide other relief to settle allegations that the provider security services to hospitals in Texas violated Title VII when, after initially offering a highly qualified female applicant a job as a security supervisor, it unlawfully rescinded the offer and refused to hire her because her sex. According to the EEOC, the evidence showed that the female applicant possessed more than the requisite qualifications for the position. After she accepted the job offer, two male HSS Security managers took issue with her hiring upon meeting her. Although she assured them of her skills and abilities and described her actual experience in such situations, the managers denied her employment. The company later offered the security supervisor position to two male applicants, neither of whom was more qualified than the female applicant.

The decree also requires HSS Security to train its hiring managers, recruiters, and HR personnel annually on federal laws prohibiting sex discrimination; revise its EEO policies and procedures to address workplace discrimination; post notices to employees of their right to work free of discrimination; and report to the EEOC all complaints of discrimination in hiring that the company receives during the three-year term of the decree.

The EEOC brought its lawsuit in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division; the case is No. 4:24-cv-03663.

Pregnant worker denied reasonable accommodations. Delaware-based vehicle manufacturer Polaris Industries, Inc. will pay $55,000 and provide other injunctive relief to settle charges that it violated the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) in connection with practices at its Huntsville, Alabama, facility. The company penalized an employee for pregnancy-related absences and medical appointments, according to the EEOC’s lawsuit. The company also required her to work mandatory overtime despite direction from her physician that she should not work more than 40 hours per week during her pregnancy. Polaris told the employee that it would terminate her if she accumulated additional attendance points for any reason. Faced with choosing between her job and the health of her unborn child, the employee felt no choice but to resign.

The two-year consent decree resolving the case also requires Polaris to take steps to prevent future discrimination by improving their policies and practices and by training their employees on the PWFA.

“The PWFA ensures that pregnant employees have the opportunity to seek and receive reasonable accommodations. The EEOC will make sure employers that fall short of this obligation are held accountable,” said Marsha Rucker, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham District.

The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the Northern District of Alabama; the case is No. 5:24-cv-1305.

COO sexually harassed office manager. Gator Strong, LLC, a commercial and residential home services company operating in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and formerly in Wilmington, North Carolina, violated Title VII by subjecting a female office manager to sexual harassment and firing her, according to a new EEOC lawsuit. The company’s former COO allegedly subjected the office manager to a campaign of sexual harassment, including repeatedly making sexual comments to her and humiliating her in front of her colleagues because of her sex. The harassment escalated over time, leading to the COO presenting the office manager with an inappropriate written proposition. The COO repeatedly attempted to talk about the proposition; after she refused to discuss it multiple times, the COO fired her. The lawsuit also alleged that Gator Strong NC, LLC, has successor liability for the unlawful conduct.

The EEOC filed its lawsuit in the Eastern District of North Carolina; the case is No. 7:25-cv-01267-M.

Companies: Chris The Crazy Trader, Inc.; Christopher’s Dodge Ram; Christopher’s Dodge World; Columbia University; HSS Security, LLC; Polaris Industries, Inc.; Gator Strong, LLC

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