Cinergy Entertainment Group to Pay $137,000 in EEOC Retaliation Suit
Theater Operator Settles Federal Lawsuit Alleging Company Failed to Rehire Former Employee Because She Previously Filed a Discrimination Charge
CHARLOTTE, NC (STL.News) Cinergy Entertainment Group, Inc., a Texas corporation operating multiple cinema and entertainment centers around the country, will pay $137,000 and provide other relief to settle a retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced Monday.
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.
Such alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from workplace retaliation. The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Cinergy Entertainment Group, Inc., Civil Action No.: 3:24-CV-00763) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its voluntary conciliation process.
In addition to paying $137,000 in damages to the affected employee, the two-year decree requires Cinergy Entertainment Group, Inc. to implement a revised anti-discrimination and retaliation policy, train managers and human resources staff at the corporate level and managers at each of its local entertainment centers nationwide, and post an employee notice at its Charlotte location.
“When an employer takes an adverse employment action against an employee because the employee exercised her right to file a charge of unlawful discrimination, it has a chilling effect. Other employees are then hesitant to come forward to report discrimination,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the Charlotte District. “Resolving issues involving unlawful retaliation is a priority for the EEOC.”
EEOC Trial Attorney Nick Wolfmeyer said, “Employees should never suffer from reporting allegations of discrimination to a federal agency. The EEOC takes allegations of retaliation seriously, and we will step in to protect employees’ rights.”
