The owner of the Forum Shops at Caesars has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a two-year-old lawsuit charging Hispanic janitors there were subjected to discrimination.
Simon Property Group Inc. of Indianapolis, owner of the mall on the Las Vegas Strip, had been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in federal court in Las Vegas.
The July 2009 suit charged that in 2005 and 2006, at least five janitors were subjected to physical intimidation and verbal harassment, allegedly resulting in a hostile work environment.
EEOC officials have said a supervisor allegedly involved in the discrimination had been terminated by the Forum Shops, in part because of the racial harassment claims; and Simon Property Group told the EEOC it had addressed the problem even before the suit was filed.
A consent decree filed in federal court on Tuesday and signed by Simon Property Group attorneys says the $125,000 in settlement money will be allocated by the EEOC to the affected janitors, who had left the luxury mall prior to the lawsuit being filed.
As part of the decree, Simon agreed not to harass or tolerate harassment against employees on the basis of national origin or retaliate against employees who have complained about such discrimination.
“Simon is committed to complying with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and has agreed to training and reporting requirements pursuant to the consent decree,” says a notice Simon agreed to post in the Forum Shops workplace as part of the settlement.