Scott County construction company reaches settlement in racial discrimination lawsuit

ST. LOUIS -- A Scott County construction company has settled an Indiana racial harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency announced Monday.

Dollins Construction Co. of Morley, Mo., was ordered to pay $15,000 for lost wages and compensatory damages, implement an effective anti-discrimination policy and training for all managers and meet reporting and monitoring requirements.

The EEOC's suit, which was filed last September in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, subjected three workers to racial harassment at a work site in Cordon, Ind., in 2006, which included the use of racially charged comments and the display of a noose. The suit said that after one of the victims complained about the conduct to the owner of the business in Scott County, they were not sent out on any further jobs.

Racial harassment and retaliation for complaining about it violate the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach and voluntary prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process, officials said.