A San Francisco-based electronics installation company will pay $70,098 to settle a federal lawsuit charging it with subjecting a Black employee to racially charged harassment and retaliatory termination.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit against Metro Eighteen, Inc., alleging that a Black employee at the company’s Los Angeles location was subjected to racially charged language and conduct by co-workers.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the employee complained to his supervisor about the harassment, but the conduct continued. After he made the complaint, Metro Eighteen fired him in retaliation for reporting it.
The agency filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California as EEOC v. Metro Eighteen, Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-03412-AH(ADSx), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
The alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits racial discrimination and retaliation.
Beatriz Andre, acting regional attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office, said in a press release that she commended Metro Eighteen for reaching resolution of the matter and putting in place practices to ensure employees are able to participate in a workplace free of discrimination.
Christine Park-Gonzalez, director of the EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office, said in a press release that the agency commended this employee for bravely seeking to stop mistreatment in the workplace.