Published: June 24, 2008 06:25 pm      

Sally Beauty to pay local woman $30k for discrimination

A Denton, Texas-based beauty supply chain, which also operates a location locally, has agreed to settle a race discrimination lawsuit which left a local woman without a job.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Monday it had settled a lawsuit with Sally Beauty Supply, LLC, formerly known as Sally Beauty Company, Inc., on behalf of FeLica Spears who was denied a sales clerk position at the store on Edgar Brown Drive in West Orange.

Sally Beauty Supply will pay $30,000 to settle the lawsuit with Spears and the EEOC.

According to a press release, the EEOC’s lawsuit, which was filed in September 2007 in U.S. District Court in Beaumont, claimed Sally Beauty Supply had offered spears a job as a sales clerk with the company and even given her a start date, but rescinded the offer two days later.

According to information provided by the unidentified former store manager of the West Orange location, the store manager had a telephone conversation with the district manager after Spears had applied.

In sworn testimony, the store manager said she was told by the district manager “she did not want another black person working in the store.”

Reportedly, Spears was told on the day she arrived for work she could not be hired due to her race because too many African Americans were employed at the store.

The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.

According to the settlement terms, Sally Beauty Supply is to pay Spears $30,000 in compensation as set forth in a consent decree signed by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark.

According to its website, “Sally Beauty is the world’s largest retailer of professional beauty supplies.” The company owns and operates approximately 2,700 stores worldwide.