Cynergy Entertainment Group To Pay $137,000 For Retaliating Against Employee

Employers have a considerable amount of power over their employees, but they cannot retaliate against an employee who is only asserting their rights. In a recent lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency accused Cynergy Entertainment Group, Inc., a company that runs multiple cinema and entertainment centers around the U.S., of refusing to rehire a former employee because they filed a previous discrimination claim with the EEOC while at a different job working as a bartender.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2023, a former employee re-applied to work for Cinergy, but a company vice president told her she was not eligible for rehire because she filed a previous discrimination charge with the EEOC after being fired from a bartending position in 2022.

This action violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects workers from workplace retaliation. The EEOC filed suit against the employer and recovered $137,000 in back wages and compensatory damages. In addition to paying the former employee, the two-year consent decree will require the company to implement a revised anti-discrimination and retaliation policy, train managers and human resources staff at the corporate level as well as managers at each of its local entertainment centers nationwide, and to post an employee notice at one of its main locations.

The EEOC takes these sorts of complaints very seriously. While the EEOC won’t take every case that it comes across, retaliation cases have a chilling effect on workers who then may be hesitant to assert their rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Filing a retaliation lawsuit against your employer 

When it comes to discrimination and retaliation complaints, you have options. You can either hire a private attorney who will work with you through the process to gather information and present your case, or you can go directly to the EEOC.

To file a discrimination complaint using private counsel, you would first contact the employment law attorneys at Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC. We will discuss your situation and gather evidence, then file a complaint with the EEOC detailing your employer’s discriminatory actions. Once the EEOC’s investigation is complete, they may issue a “right to sue” letter. This letter gives you the authority to initiate a lawsuit against your employer. Your attorney will then draft your lawsuit, and file it with the appropriate district court.

Talk to a Columbus, OH Employment Law Attorney Today 

If you have been fired, demoted, or harassed in the workplace, you can file a lawsuit against your employer claiming that your rights have been violated under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or other pieces of federal legislation that prevent workplace discrimination. Call the Columbus employment lawyers at Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC for a consultation, and we can begin gathering evidence and presenting your case to the EEOC for review.

Source:

eeoc.gov/newsroom/cinergy-entertainment-group-pay-137000-eeoc-retaliation-suit