LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Justice Department announced on Wednesday that it reached a settlement agreement with Walter J. Willoughby Jr., M.D., Ltd., a medical practice in Las Vegas, over allegations that the company violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by firing an employee due to her Mexican-American national origin.
The department's investigation found that Willoughby Ltd. dismissed the employee, who had received high-performance evaluations, after subjecting her to derogatory comments and jokes based on her Mexican heritage.
The coworkers then fabricated a false accusation against the employee and used it to convince the medical practice to terminate her without investigating the accusation.
Under the settlement, Willoughby Ltd. will pay a civil penalty to the government and $42,500 to the affected employee. The company will also be required to provide employee training on the INA's anti-discrimination requirements, revise its employment policies, and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting.
The INA prohibits employers with four to 14 employees from firing workers based on national origin. Comparatively, employers with 15 or more employees are prohibited from such discrimination by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
