A Denver life insurance company has been accused of racial and sexual discrimination in a recent federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The plaintiffs include seven African American Denver “annuity wholesalers and supervisors” who’s experiences include many “blatant racial and sexual abuse incidents,” such as when one saleswoman was “ordered to get on her knees while her boss mimicked a sex act with a vodka bottle and fellow workers laughed.” Others recounted times when they were “demeaned, denied promotions and bonuses, and fired” when they spoke out against the discrimination. According to EEOC attorneys and other private attorneys involved in the case, the lawsuit aims to award the plaintiffs things like “back pay, punitive damages and future lost wages.”
A Denver life insurance company has been accused of racial and sexual discrimination in a recent federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The plaintiffs include seven African American Denver “annuity wholesalers and supervisors” who experienced many “blatant racial and sexual abuse incidents,” such as when one saleswoman was “ordered to get on her knees while her boss mimicked a sex act with a vodka bottle and fellow workers laughed.” Others recounted times when they were “demeaned, denied promotions and bonuses, and fired” when they spoke out against the discrimination. According to EEOC attorneys and other private attorneys involved in the case, the lawsuit aims to award the plaintiffs things like “back pay, punitive damages and future lost wages.”
So where exactly did this discrimination occur, and when? Well, many of the plaintiffs were employed by Jackson National Life Insurance Company and worked in one of their subsidiaries in Denver, Colorado. They were all African-American, and many of them were women. Despite being trusted with important tasks and top accounts, the plaintiffs were all routinely “passed over for promotions by white men with lesser qualifications.”
The EEOC got involved back in 2015 when they found probable cause that Jackson National Life Insurance Company did in fact “discriminate against black and female employees in recruitment, promotion and hiring.” According to the lawsuit, Jackson also created a “hostile work environment against employees who were internal wholesalers, business development consultants and desk directors.”
The main man behind this discrimination was James Bossert, a senior vice president of sales. His attitude towards African Americans was so poor that he actually “encouraged supervisors under him to treat black employees in a discriminatory manner” by bullying them, according to the lawsuit. Believe it or not, at one point black employees were even told that “they could not be promoted because of the color of their skin.”
The list of discriminatory and bullying actions goes on, including instances where white employees would regularly pelt black employees from behind and in the face with balls, and many instances where male employees would ask women sexual questions. Essentially, pranks and discrimination against African American employees were common. As the lawsuit states, “black and female employees were discriminated against in nearly all terms and conditions of employment, including pay, territories, awards, training, and lack of support.”
All of this occurred while white employees who showed up to work drunk, “lacked proper licensing to sell insurance,” and “failed to meet basic performance quotas” went undisciplined. In fact, the only white employees who ever faced discipline were those who attempted to protect black employees.
When asked about the lawsuit, Gerald Maatman, a Jackson attorney, said: “the firm does not comment on pending litigation.” He then went on to say that “Jackson is committed to the fair and sensitive treatment of all employees.” With so many allegations of discrimination against them, one might find that a bit hard to believe. In any case, at least the EEOC is holding Jackson accountable, meaning the plaintiffs should one day see justice for what they went through.
Sources:
Racial and Sexual Discrimination Alleged At Denver Life Insurance Company
Federal Discrimination Suit Filed Against Large Annuity Distributor
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