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Jan. 11—OTTUMWA — A federal lawsuit over sexual discrimination relating to an employee passed over for a promotion will end after Walmart agreed to a $60,000 settlement.
The agreement was solidified Thursday when the federal court for the Southern District of Iowa entered the consent decree order.
The lawsuit was filed in February 2022 and alleged a Black woman was discriminated against based on her gender and race, resulting in her being denied a promotion and a clean area to express breast milk. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought the suit on behalf of the woman, Tiffanee Johnson.
The alleged acts occurred at the company's store in Ottumwa, beginning around January 2018 when the employee had returned from maternity leave. Shortly after her return to work, Johnson applied for a pet department manager position after passing the manager's test and receiving encouragement from other Walmart managers.
She was interviewed but not selected for the promotion. According to court filings, an assistant manager had told her the company preferred someone who would stay with the company long-term and that "decision-makers" did not think the employee wanted those things because she had small children at home.
Lawsuit filings say that Johnson had three more years of experience than who was ultimately selected for the promotion. That individual also did not have small children at home.
The lawsuit also included claims that Johnson was told she could express breast milk in a cluttered storage closet with dead bugs on the floor, though a white employee had received a clean management office for the same purpose.
The settlement in the case comes after Walmart's unsuccessful bid to prevent a trial in the case. The jury trial would have began Monday in Des Moines if not for the settlement.
The total settlement is $60,000, half of which constitutes back payment and the other half constitutes compensatory damages. Walmart has agreed to post a notice of the settlement in their breakroom, conduct training on discrimination for its manager-level employees in Ottumwa, and face scrutiny to ensure compliance with the order and discrimination laws for 15 months.
Kyle Ocker is the editor of the Ottumwa Courier and the Oskaloosa Herald. He can be reached at kocker@ottumwacourier.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, and on Threads @Kyle_Ocker.