Iron Hill Brewery ordered to pay chef for discrimination

Iron Hill Brewery has been ordered by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay a former employee $115,000 after he was fired in retaliation for whistleblowing.

According to the EEOC , a Black sous chef at the now-shuttered Buckhead location was fired “because of his race and in retaliation for reporting discrimination against women and Hispanic employees.”

The lawsuit states that the employee reported the mistreatment of Hispanic employees and women, which included a complaint that a woman was not being provided a safe, private space to express breast milk.

The employee received an unwarranted disciplinary action and was then fired, the EEOC said.

In addition to the $115,000 in monetary relief, the three-year decree settling the suit requires Iron Hill Brewery to provide nationwide training for its employees focused on Title VII’s prohibitions against race discrimination and retaliation.

“The EEOC brought this lawsuit to defend an employee’s right to speak up about workplace discrimination,” said Atlanta District Office Regional Attorney Marcus G. Keegan. “This settlement sends a strong message that the EEOC will continue to vindicate the rights of individuals with the courage to come forward to report discrimination against themselves or others in the workplace.”

Although the Buckhead location closed in May, Iron Hill has 20 locations across Georgia, South Carolina, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The restaurant chain is owned by Kevin Finn, Mark Edelson, and Kevin Davies.

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