NLV cabinet maker to settle suit alleging abuse

Monday, July 25, 2005 | 10:53 a.m.

Western Casework Corp. a North Las Vegas cabinet maker, has agreed to pay $600,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity on behalf of eight Hispanic workers, who alleged co-workers and supervisors verbally and physically abused them because of their national origin.

The lawsuit alleges the abusive behavior included an incident where Western Casework "agents" took nail guns loaded with 2 1/2 inch nails and shot them at Hispanic workers, who had to duck or hide from the nails.

The lawsuit, which was filed in June 2004, alleges managers at the company didn't do anything to prevent the behavior and "exacerbated the situation by implicitly condoning such behavior and even encouraging this conduct by openly participating in same," the lawsuit said. The workers were later terminated, as a result of their complaints of discrimination, the suit said.

Scott Abbott, a lawyer for the company, said the eight plaintiffs were terminated because company leaders found out the workers were undocumented workers who presented false alien resident cards to get their jobs. He said the incidents described in the lawsuit were examples of horseplay the workers willingly engaged in.

"What's disheartening for an employer like my client, is despite their policies to train people with respect to anti-harassment, you can't control everyone in the workplace," Abbott said. "Both the plaintiffs and some of our own people engaged in horseplay that wasn't appropriate."

The settlement allocates $400,000 to pay damages to some of the workers and another $200,000 will be saved for workers and former workers who allegedly suffered the same abuse but haven't yet come forward. If none come forward that money reverts back to Western Casework, Abbott said.

The company has agreed to hire a consultant to help implement new policies for handling discrimination and harassment complaints.