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Houston District Office CONTACTS: Lloyd Van Oostenrijk
1919 Smith Street, 7PthP Floor Trial Attorney
Houston, TX 77002 Office: (346) 327-7718
PHONE (800) 669-4000•TTY (800) 669-6820
FAX (713) 651-7995 Rudy Sustaita EEOC Regional Attorney
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Office: (346) 327-7691 September 24, 2021 Cell: (713) 203-8274
Kathy Boutchee
EEOC Supervisory Trial Attorney
(346) 327-7664 TTY: (713) 651-4901
WOODLANDS PSYCHIATRY TO PAY $22,500 TO SETTLE EEOC RETALIATION LAWSUIT
Owner Fired Employee Via Text After Receiving Her Discrimination Charge,
According to Lawsuit
HOUSTON – The Woodlands Psychiatry and Counseling Company, formerly known as the Woodlands Integrative Care Hospital (Woodlands Psychiatry), located in Conroe, Texas, will pay a former employee $22,500 to resolve a retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
According to the EEOC’s suit a licensed chemical dependency counselor employed by Woodlands Psychiatry was fired, via text, by the owner of the company after he learned she had filed a charge of discrimination with the EEOC. The chief nursing officer for the facility confirmed the employee was fired because she had filed a charge of discrimination.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits an employer from retaliating against an employee who has filed a charge of discrimination, testified, assisted or participated in any charge of unlawful discrimination. The EEOC filed its suit (Civil Action No. 4:20-cv-02275) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas after first attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through its voluntary conciliation process.
Under a three-year consent decree entered on September 23, 2021, Woodlands Psychiatry will pay the employee $22,500 in compensatory damages and will also conduct training regarding Title VII’s prohibition against retaliation, update its antidiscrimination policies, post a notice prohibiting discrimination, and provide regular reports to the EEOC concerning complaints of discrimination and retaliation.
“Title VII protects workers who participate in the EEOC process, especially those who seek redress from discriminatory or retaliatory conduct in the workplace by filing a charge of discrimination” said Rudy Sustaita, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Houston District Office. “We will safeguard employees’ statutory rights under Title VII by filing suit to enforce the law, especially on behalf of employees who were fired or otherwise retaliated against because they filed a charge of discrimination.”
“Retaliation against employees who report discrimination is unlawful,” said Lloyd Van Oostenrijk, the trial attorney in charge of the case. “The Commission aggressively investigates, and, if necessary, prosecutes employers who violate Title VII’s anti-retaliation provision.”
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
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