Nursing home operators Hobe Sound OPCO and related companies Hobe Sound Realty, TOH Holdings, and HSRE, have agreed to pay $67,500 to settle a national origin discrimination lawsuit filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced. According to the lawsuit, the identified companies violated federal law when they failed to hire a Haitian applicant for the position of nursing home administrator on the basis of her national origin. The Haitian applicant’s job offer was revoked shortly after meeting with the owner and manager of the nursing home who made discriminatory comments about “voodoo” and other “Haitian rituals.” He claimed the applicant would favor Haitian employees, and relayed a story about a former administrator finding a voodoo doll outside her office after disciplining a Haitian employee. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on national origin.
