Ikon Office Solutions Race Discrimination Class Action
Case name: Rosenberg, et al., v. IKON Office Solutions, Inc.
Case type: Race Discrimination
Filed in: [U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]
Docket: [Case No.1:05-cv-09131]
Case Summary
In August 2006, Sanford Heisler Sharp filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of current, former, and future Black employees of IKON Office Solutions (“IKON”) in New York City and the state of New York, alleging racial discrimination in pay and promotions, retaliation, and hostile work environment, in violation of Title VII of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Civil Rights Act of 1866, state law, and New York City administrative codes.
The lawsuit followed a 2005 finding by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) that confirmed Plaintiff Rosenberg’s allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation.
IKON is a multinational corporation that specializes in integrating imaging systems and services that help businesses manage document workflow and increase efficiency. The Complaint alleged that Black employees working for IKON in New York were subjected to an environment permeated with racial hatred, slurs, epithets, and stereotypes.
Despite being told of the derogatory references to Black employees, IKON’s white managerial staff refused to discipline or discourage those responsible for the racist behavior, the Complaint alleged. Further, when Black employees complained about IKON’s discriminatory practices in pay, promotion, and policies, the company retaliated by destroying the employee’s prospects inside the company, according to the Complaint.
In 2008, the parties reached a $1.3 million settlement for a class of Black individuals employed by IKON in the Legal Document Services or IKON Management Services business units in New York State between Jan. 1, 2001, and December 31, 2005.
