KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A federal agency alleges a Kansas City wedding event venue owner fired an employee for substantiating a fellow worker's claim of race discrimination in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
According to a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 28 Event Space owner Doug Lytle fired an African-American employee who witnessed a race discrimination claim from Lytle's former job at a cabinet design company. The owner allegedly offered the witness money and a car in an effort to change his testimony prior to firing him, the EEOC said.
"It is important for employers to understand it is unlawful to retaliate against any employee who files a charge of discrimination or participates or provides testimony in an investigation," EEOC St. Louis District Office director James Neely Jr. said in a statement.
"The law's prohibition against retaliation is just as important as its prohibition against discrimination," added EEOC St. Louis regional attorney Andrea Baran. "Workers must know that they can report discrimination or provide truthful testimony to federal investigators without fear of losing their jobs."
The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief.