Beaumont Health (now Corewell Health) will pay $30,000 and furnish other relief to settle a race discrimination lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Beaumont terminated a Black home health aide after an unwitnessed verbal conflict with a White co-worker about a dishwasher. Afterward, both employees discussed the incident with the director. Despite the existence of a progressive discipline policy, the director fired the Black employee but failed to discipline the White employee for her role in the conflict. The Black employee had successfully worked for Beaumont for over 20 years. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under the terms of the consent decree settling the case, Corewell Health is enjoined from engaging in disparate treatment based on race and required to train certain managers, supervisors, and HR personnel on race discrimination. In addition, Corewell Health will pay $7,837.96 in back pay, along with $22,162.04 in compensatory damages, for a total of exactly $30,000.
