Get our free mobile app

Minneapolis (KROC AM News) -  A Minnesota furniture retail business accused of not hiring a person because of his gender identity has agreed to pay the man $60,000.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement of the case against Frizzell Furniture Tuesday. Frizzell operates stores in Bemidji and Walker.

According to the EEOC, Frizzell has committed to providing training and revising its policies to resolve a finding of gender identity discrimination, a form of sex discrimination.

An EEOC investigation concluded that Frizzell Furniture did not hire a job applicant for a sales position because he is transgender. A hiring official informed him he would not “mix well with the customers.” The EEOC says the alleged conduct violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“We appreciate that Frizzell Furniture worked cooperatively with the EEOC to resolve this charge without having to go through protracted litigation,” said Julianne Bowman, district director of the EEOC’s Chicago District. “By revising its hiring procedures and adopting new policies, Frizzell Furniture is taking important steps to promote equal employment opportunity for all job applicants.”

The EEOC says under the conciliation agreement, in addition to paying $60,000 to the applicant, Frizzell will implement an anti-discrimination policy and improved recordkeeping procedures, provide EEO training to employees, and report any future complaints of discrimination to the EEOC for a period of three years. The company will also adopt more objective criteria for hiring decisions and utilize a scoring matrix for job interviews.

News update:  Bicyclist killed in Twin Cities was a Catholic priest.

LOOK: Here are the pets banned in each state

Because the regulation of exotic animals is left to states, some organizations, including The Humane Society of the United States, advocate for federal, standardized legislation that would ban owning large cats, bears, primates, and large poisonous snakes as pets.

Read on to see which pets are banned in your home state, as well as across the nation.

 

 

More From KROC-AM