As outlined below, two AZ employers had the dubious distinction of being featured in the Arizona Republic because they were on the losing end of an employment dispute. In the first case, the Princess Resort paid a former concierge supervisor $13,750 for emotional distress and $10,000 in back wages to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit brought on her behalf by the EEOC. The Princess had given the claimant Sundays off to attend church for a period of time. A new supervisor put an end to that practice. The claimant, a long-term well regarded employee, was fired for alleged performance issues 12 days after complaining to HR about the new supervisor’s refusal to give her Sundays off.
In the second case, a jury awarded 9 Hispanic men $2.4 million for enduring years of racism while they worked for the City of Tempe. The discrimination consisted of keeping the claimants in low-level posts, racial epithets, and other harassing type behavior. The settlement/verdict amounts noted above, do not include attorney fees, which can easily reach the six figure range. My point in sending this news update is to keep you all on your toes. When it comes to employment issues you must be ever vigilant to avoid being featured in the newspaper.