Two oil field service companies will pay nearly $700,000 to settle federal charges that they subjected workers to racial and sexual harassment and then fired employees who complained about the misconduct.
Bigfoot Energy Services and Iron Mountain Energy, which operated as a single employer, agreed to the $697,500 settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Thursday. The companies must also implement new anti-harassment policies and provide regular training under a three-year consent decree.
The EEOC lawsuit alleged that company employees, including managers, regularly used racial slurs when referring to Black workers. Male employees also shared pornographic images and made sexually offensive comments to female colleagues, according to the federal complaint.
When workers complained about the harassment, they faced swift retaliation, the EEOC said. A male truck driver was fired the day after he complained about sexually harassing conduct. Other drivers were terminated within days of reporting workplace use of racial slurs.
Companies must overhaul workplace policies
Under the settlement agreement, both companies must establish comprehensive harassment and retaliation policies. They are required to train all employees and managers on Title VII requirements, harassment prevention, and retaliation protections.
The companies must also submit regular reports to the EEOC detailing their training programs, policy changes, and any discrimination complaints they receive during the three-year monitoring period.
“Effective training, anti-discrimination policies, and pathways for complaining about discrimination without retaliation are essential for providing a workplace free of harassment and discrimination,” said EEOC Houston District Office Regional Attorney Rudy Sustaita.
Legal violations under federal civil rights law
The alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace discrimination based on race and sex, including harassment and retaliation against employees who report violations.
The EEOC filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana after attempts to reach a pre-litigation settlement failed through the agency’s administrative process.
EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Elizabeth Owen emphasized that all industries have legal obligations to maintain harassment-free workplaces.
“Trucking and oil field service companies—like all industries—have a legal duty to ensure that their workplaces are not filled with racially and sexually offensive language,” Owen said. “The EEOC is committed to holding accountable those companies who fail to comply with anti-discrimination law.”
EEOC enforcement priorities
The case was handled by the EEOC’s New Orleans Field Office, which operates under the Houston District. The Houston District covers Louisiana and parts of Texas.
The settlement reflects the EEOC’s continued focus on combating workplace harassment and retaliation in male-dominated industries where such problems have historically persisted.
The federal agency has sole authority to investigate and pursue legal action against private employers for violations of federal employment discrimination laws. For public sector cases, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division.
