JUSTICE DEPARTMENT FILES SUIT AGAINST THE CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA FOR EMPLOYMENT DISCRIMINATION AND RETALIATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.- The Department of Justice today announced that it has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the city of Fort Lauderdale, Florida regarding alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court in Miami, alleges that the city of Fort Lauderdale denied a promotion to an African American employee because of race, as well as subjected him to retaliatory harassment because of opposition to employment practices he reasonably believed to be discriminatory. The employee filed an internal discrimination complaint and subsequently filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The Justice Department's complaint is based on the employee's charge that because of race, the city denied him promotion to the position of Engineering Inspector I, and then retaliated against him when he complained about the discrimination. After finding reasonable cause to believe the employee's allegations and unsuccessful attempts to reach an agreement, the EEOC referred the complaint to the Department of Justice. The Department then conducted a supplemental investigation before filing suit.

The Justice Department's complaint requests that the court enter an order requiring the city to provide relief to the employee, award him compensatory damages for pain and suffering, and take appropriate measures to overcome the effects of the city's unlawful actions.

The Employment Litigation Section of the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is prosecuting this case. Additional information about the Employment Litigation Section is available on the Department of Justice's website at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/emp/index.html.

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