An initial payment of $52,000 will be made within 10 days of the effective date of the consent decree.
The remaining balance of $28,000 will be paid in eight monthly installments of $3,500 due on the last day of every month.
Since the amount was designated as compensatory damages, no federal and state withholding taxes will be made, the consent decree order stated.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, represented by its regional attorney Anna Y. Park, and AA Enterprises Inc., which operates gas stations, agreed to ensure defendant’s employment practices comply with federal law; to ensure a work environment free from sex-based harassment and retaliation subsequent to any complaint of harassment; to ensure training for defendant’s managers and employees with respect to the law against sex-based discrimination, and any subsequent retaliation; to provide an appropriate and effective mechanism for handling complaints of sex-based discrimination, and/or retaliation in the workplace; and to avoid expensive and protracted costs incident to this litigation.
“AA Enterprises has committed to the consent decree and the corrective measures required. It looks forward to continuing its business while complying with all legal regulatory requirements including those of EEOC. The company has decided to reach resolution in this manner after considering the costs of litigation versus the benefits of resolution. Having done so, it will comply and continue its commitment to serving the CNMI community,” said attorney Robert T. Torres in a statement emailed to Variety.
According to the EEOC’s suit, AA Enterprises singled out at least four female nonresident gas station workers, requiring them to pay for their own pregnancy-related medical expenses while paying for the expenses of employees with other medical conditions.
The pregnant staffers were threatened with termination if they did not agree to pay for their own medical expenses, and at least two of the women were ultimately fired by the gas station manager within two weeks of reporting the discrimination to the EEOC.
