Hooters of Louisiana, LLC and associated companies (“Hooters”) have agreed to pay former African American employees $650,000 to settle a race and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Hooters subjected African American employees at a Metairie-located Hooters restaurant to a workplace environment of offensive and demeaning remarks based on their race since at least 2017. Hooters also did not rehire any of the restaurant’s African American employees after laying off staff in 2020 at the outset of the pandemic.
Instead, according to the lawsuit, Hooters initially restaffed the restaurant solely with non-Black employees. Several of the laid-off African American employees complained about the offensive racial remarks and hiring practices, but none of the former African American employees were rehired despite their qualifications.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which prohibits discriminating based on race. The EEOC filed its suit (Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-02864) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Under the three-year consent decree, approved (date), Hooters will pay the former employees $650,000 in backpay and damages, and also conduct training, revise policies, provide regular reports to the EEOC, and post a notice affirming its obligations under Title VII.
Source: EEOC
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