The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a significant lawsuit against a well-known pizza company, alleging retaliation and discrimination in the workplace. The complaint was lodged on September 25, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Reggio’s Pizza, Inc., accusing the company of unlawful employment practices under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The EEOC claims that Reggio’s Pizza engaged in retaliatory actions against an employee who opposed what she perceived as unlawful employment practices. According to the lawsuit, the aggrieved individual began working as a cashier at one of Reggio's locations at O'Hare Airport on January 24, 2020. She reported being outed by a manager as transgender to other employees, which led to her being misgendered by coworkers. This behavior culminated in a customer making an offensive racial and homophobic comment towards her on March 3, 2020. When she reported this harassment to management, her airport badge was revoked, effectively terminating her employment. The EEOC argues that these actions were not only discriminatory but also retaliatory since they followed her complaints about sex and race-based harassment.
The legal filing details how the EEOC attempted to resolve these issues through informal conciliation methods with Reggio’s Pizza but failed to reach an agreement. Consequently, they issued a Notice of Failure of Conciliation on August 7, 2024. The EEOC contends that Reggio's actions were intentional and done with malice or reckless indifference to federally protected rights.
In its prayer for relief, the EEOC seeks several remedies from the court. They request a permanent injunction preventing Reggio’s from engaging in further discriminatory or retaliatory practices and demand that policies be instituted to ensure equal employment opportunities regardless of sex or race. Additionally, they seek back pay and reinstatement or front pay for the aggrieved individual along with compensation for both pecuniary and nonpecuniary losses such as emotional distress. Punitive damages are also sought due to what is described as malicious conduct by Reggio’s Pizza.
The case is being handled by several attorneys from the EEOC Chicago District Office including Gregory Gochanour, Justin Mulaire, Laurie Elkin, and Miles Shultz under General Counsel Karla Gilbride's leadership. The case identification number is 1:24-cv-08910.