Simon Property Group will pay $125,000 to settle case
Simon Property Group agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a federal case brought by the Equal Emplyoment Opportunity Commission that Hispanic janitors had been subjected to verbal harassment.
Four men working at the Forum Shops at Caesars were named in the suit filed last year, after complaining that they had been subjected to ethnic-oriented slurs. In addition to the monetary payment, Simon agreed as part of a deal filed on Tuesday to undertake certain administrative steps such as providing non-harassment training to non-managers, designating an in-house equal opportunity co-cordinator and reviewing its anti-harassment policies and procedures.
The commission's case was slowed when attorneys for Simon focused their questioning of the employees on their immigration status. Commission attorneys tried to have those topics ruled out of bounds, but both a magistrate judge and a U.S. District Court judge allowed Simon to go ahead.
Contact reporter Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5290.
