Staffing Agency to Pay $875,000 to Settle Sex Discrimination Suit

SmartTalent, a Kirkland, Wash.-based staffing agency, will pay $875,000 to settle a lawsuit that says it complied with discriminatory hiring requests, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Wednesday.

The EEOC said SmartTalent received requests for male workers from some clients and complied with those discriminatory requests instead of rejecting them as unlawful. The company denied female workers job placement opportunities, and dissuaded some of its own recruiters who voiced concerns about such discrimination.

Under the three-year consent decree settling the suit, SmartTalent will pay $875,000 to eligible claimants and will retain an independent consultant to draft and implement policies ...