Crossroads wedding venue must pay $15,000 for retaliating against employee
The owner of a wedding event space in the Crossroads district has agreed to pay $15,000 to a former part-time employee whom, federal authorities said, was the subject of a “campaign of intimidation and threats” for supporting a co-worker’s racial discrimination claim.
In a lawsuit filed in November, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Doug Lytle, the owner of 28 Event Space, retaliated against Theopilis J. Bryant, an African American who was a witness in an earlier race discrimination claim against Profile Cabinet and Design. Lytle was a part owner of the custom cabinet maker, according to authorities.
Lytle first tried to bribe, then threatened and finally fired Bryant in an attempt to persuade him not to testify in the race discrimination case, authorities said.
Bryant filed an EEOC complaint against the company in 2016. The EEOC filed the federal lawsuit in Kansas City on behalf of Bryant.
In the settlement announced Thursday, in addition to the financial compensation, the company is required to create clear, understandable anti-discrimination policies, require training for the owner and employees and provide regular reports to the EEOC for the next three years.
“Retaliation against those who oppose discrimination is something the EEOC takes very seriously,” Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District, said in a written statement. “Employees must be able to report discrimination and provide truthful testimony to federal investigators without fear of intimidation or losing their jobs.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 5:33 PM.
