Gay man who was called slurs at work settles lawsuit for $60,000

A gay man who was targeted with relentless harassment – including being called slurs by his coworkers – won $60,000 as part of a settlement with his former employer, Memphis Tennessee’s Amerigo Italian Restaurant.

The case, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. J.H.S. Holdings, LLC et al, took place after a gay employee filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that alleged he was facing intense discrimination at his workplace.

Related: TV’s Judge Joe Brown descends into unhinged anti-trans rant at mayoral campaign event

The former reality TV star relentlessly insulted a critic and said trans people want to “convert” children.

He claims that this discrimination led to his false firing for a no-call/no-show, in spite of his attempts to contact management.

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The ex-employee in the case stated that he was subject to numerous homophobic slurs and insults by other employees, which management ignored despite his reaching out for assistance. Straight employees did not face the same treatment.

The two companies who were named in the suit, 4Top Hospitality Group, Inc. and J.H.S. Holdings, LLC, have to provide anti-discrimination training to their employees, make the settlement visible to other employees in the restaurant, and add new policies to address situations such as this.

In addition, any future complaints have to be brought to the EEOC in periodic reports.

“The Supreme Court has made clear that discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation is unlawful,” said Edmond Sims, acting director of EEOC’s Memphis District Office. “The EEOC remains committed to holding accountable those employers who violate the rights of their employees.”

In the lawsuit, the EEOC stated that this discrimination constituted a violation of Title VII of the civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discriminatory workplace discrimination. The statute was expanded to include protections for LGBTQ+ people in the Supreme Court’s 2020 Bostock v. Clayton Co. decision.

Faye Williams, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, said to Memphis’s ABC 24, “All employees should be able to work in an environment free of discrimination irrespective of their sexual orientation, and that includes discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation.”

“Employers break the law when they fail to stop discrimination they find in the workplace.”

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