The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Thursday filed suit in Louisiana federal court against ExxonMobil for unlawful employment practices based on racial discrimination. The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, alleged that ExxonMobil violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 after the corporation failed to take necessary steps to fix and stop racial discrimination at its chemical plant and oil refinery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The EEOC is seeking relief for former-ExxonMobil employee Milferd McGhee under Title VII, including provisions requiring ExxonMobil to post and keep posted notices of unlawful workplace discrimination and make and preserve all relevant records pertaining to unlawful workplace discrimination or suspicion of such behavior. The organization is also asking the court to prohibit ExxonMobil and those actively participating with the corporation from discriminating against employees on the basis of race and order ExxonMobil to provide McGhee with compensation for injuries he faced resulting from the discrimination he faced.

According to the complaint, between April 2016 and December 2020, at least five hangman’s nooses were found at the Baton Rouge complex, the fourth of which was found by McGhee. Following the initial discovery of the noose at the complex, ExxonMobil reportedly investigated the occurrence and banned two contractors from the site but did not take other remedial measures to mitigate racial discrimination in the workplace, such as the institution of policies or training. The complaint also alleged that after the second incident, a supervisor took possession of the noose and the company’s safety department was notified of the incident. However, the human resources department was not notified and an investigation was not conducted.

Following the third incident, ExxonMobil conducted an investigation but was unable to find the individual who hung the noose on the premises. The company then filed a report that recommended additional measures to remedy workplace harassment, which the EEOC alleges it did not complete by the time the fourth incident occurred. It was the fourth incident that McGhee discovered, and ExxonMobil filed another investigative report with more recommended workplace harassment remedies, which the EEOC stated it did not take before the fifth and final incident.