EEOC files suit against Kintetsu International Express
Pacific Business News (Honolulu)
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued travel company Kintetsu International Express (USA) Inc. for alleged disability-based harassment and retaliation against two former employees working out of a Maui hotel.
In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court, District of Hawaii, the EEOC alleges that from April 2006 until December 2006 an unnamed Kintetsu supervisor created an abusive and hostile work environment for one of the tour coordinators. The employee, who has rheumatoid arthritis, was frequently subjected to “disparaging, disability-based remarks” from the supervisor, according to the complaint. The supervisor also allegedly subjected the tour coordinator to discrimination in the form of an unfavorable performance review, and the tour coordinator was forced to resign in December 2006, according to court documents.
The tour coordinator, along with another Kintetsu employee, complained about the harassment to a company official, but no action was taken, the court document says. The employee who spoke out against the tour coordinator’s mistreatment was also subjected to an unfavorable performance review and was forced to resign in September 2007, court documents say.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for the two employees, punitive damages and an injunction to prevent further unlawful practices from occurring at the company.
An attorney with Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, who is representing Kintetsu International Express, declined to comment
