A Mississippi federal court jury yesterday returned a verdict in favor of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and five black dancers who were subjected to egregious race discrimination while employed by Danny's of Jackson, LLC (Danny's), doing business as Danny's Downtown Cabaret, a Jackson, Mississippi night club. The verdicts included $1.5 million in punitive damages $1.68 million in compensatory damages, and $130,550 in backpay.

--- HR Classroom Discrimination and Harassment Prevention Training Tips: Online Discrimination and Harassment training that instructs an employee how to report problems at work, and assures them they will not be retaliated against for making a report, will often lessen the consequences of bad actors. Discipline and Termination Training, and Online Diversity Training of supervisors and employees may have prevented this costly case with the EEOC, and protected the employees involved. --- 

According to the EEOC, Danny's, and its predecessor, Baby O's Restaurant, subjected black dancers to discriminatory terms and conditions of employment for years, including limiting the number of shifts black dancers could work, and subjecting them to racially offensive epithets. Danny's also forced the dancers to work at a related club, Black Diamonds, even though they were subject to arrest there because they were not licensed to work at that club. The pay and working conditions at Black Diamonds were inferior to those at Danny's, and there was less security there. The dancers who refused to work at Black Diamonds were fined and sent home, and not allowed to work at Danny's.

Despite at least eight years of efforts by the EEOC, which included two EEOC charges, three prior lawsuits and contempt proceedings and three consent decrees Danny's continued to discriminate against the dancers.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race. The EEOC's filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi in Jackson (EEOC v. Danny's Restaurant, LLC and Danny's of Jackson, LLC f/k/a Baby O's Restaurant, Inc. d/b/a  Danny's Downtown Cabaret, Civil Action No. 3:16-cv-00769-HTW-LRA).