MILWAUKEE (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has charged Scion Dental, a dental administration company in Wisconsin, with allegations of race discrimination.
Nartisha Leija allegedly successfully performed her job with Scion as a temporary employee. Scion, however, purportedly disqualified her application for permanent employment. According to Scion, it did not hire Leija because she lacked a college degree.
EEOC alleges, however, that the company subsequently hired Caucasian applicants without college degrees into the same position. The company allegedly hired four additional non-black candidates before discharging Leija from the temporary position.
EEOC seeks back pay and compensatory damages for Leija, as well as injunctive relief to bar the company from race discrimination in the future. Additionally, the agency seeks an order that would force Scion to train its managers and employees on equal employment opportunity laws.
"EEOC continues to fight against race discrimination in hiring that prevents African-American applicants from getting hired for jobs they are qualified for," said John Hendrickson, regional attorney for EEOC' s Chicago District Office. "The law requires that black job applicants be afforded the same opportunities granted to everyone else."