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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reached settlements last week in two federal discrimination cases—one against Morton Salt Inc. over alleged retaliation and racial bias, and the other against Wall Street Grill, a fine dining restaurant in New York, accused of turning a blind eye to rampant sexual harassment in its kitchen.

The EEOC discrimination settlements stem from lawsuits filed in September, with both companies agreeing to court-approved consent decrees. Morton Salt will pay $75,000 to a former worker in Ohio, while Wall Street Grill has agreed to $45,000 in damages to resolve a case in New York federal court.

Morton Salt: Retaliation and Disability Discrimination

The EEOC alleged that Daryl Dorsey, a Black laborer with a form of inflammatory arthritis, was retaliated against and ultimately fired after reporting racially offensive comments made by a white coworker. That same employee had previously been terminated for harassment but was later rehired, according to the lawsuit.

Dorsey’s complaints included allegations that the coworker implied Black employees were “slow and stupid” and tampered with his car brakes. Instead of investigating, Morton Salt allegedly penalized Dorsey with a poor performance review and later fired him in September 2022, following contact from the state’s worker compensation agency about a prior injury evaluation.

Under the consent decree, Morton Salt will pay $15,000 in lost wages and $60,000 in damages to Dorsey, and commit to revising anti-discrimination policies and enhancing training at its Rittman, Ohio facility. The company will also provide new channels—such as a hotline and email—for employees to report workplace misconduct.