Arthritis and Orthopedic Medical Clinic

Los Gatos, CA: (Aug-23-07) The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit on behalf of Tomeika Broussard of Hayward, against the Arthritis and Orthopedic Medical Clinic, run by Dr. Robert Aptekar. The lawsuit alleged that Broussard's supervisor harassed her with offensive and racial code words. After investigating the complaints of 29-year-old Broussard, the EEOC found that her supervisor, for several months in 2004 ,constantly subjected the African-American file clerk to racial code words including "reggin," (the N-word spelled backwards) and "N.P." (N-word please). Another co-worker made comments about African-Americans being "nappy heads" and "ghetto." When Broussard complained, the clinic fired her.

In a settlement reached, the Los Gatos medical clinic agreed to pay Broussard $44,000 to resolve the racial harassment lawsuit. The Arthritis and Orthopedic Medical Clinic admitted no liability and denied the allegations, though it agreed to a settlement with the EEOC. The suit was brought on the clinic on Broussard's behalf in San Francisco federal court in August 2006. Further, the clinic also agreed to develop an internal complaint procedure and provide anti-harassment training to employees. [CONTRA COSTA TIMES: RACIAL HARASSMENT]

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Published on Aug-27-07