EEOC Sues Bass Pro and Issues Press Release
The front page of the EEOC’s website may look a little different to viewers today as the government’s site contains a dedicated space to recruit claimants for a lawsuit filed by the EEOC against Bass Pro Outdoor World, LLC (“Bass Pro”) in the U. S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division (Civil Action No. 4:11-CV-3425). According to the EEOC, its lawsuit alleges that Bass Pro discriminated in its hiring practices since at least November 2005. In a related press release which references the suit, the EEOC asserts that managers at the Bass Pro Stores in the Houston, Louisiana and elsewhere denied retail positions to qualified African-Americans and Hispanics such as cashier, sales associate, team leader, supervisor, manager and others. The lawsuit alleges that Bass Pro destroyed or failed to keep records and documents related to the employment applications and internal discrimination complaints and retaliated against employees who opposed the practices, in some cases terminating or forcing the employees to resign. The EEOC’s press release can be found here.