• 08
  • September
    2011

A California-based crime and trauma scene cleaning company, Crime Scene Cleaners, has recently been accused of gender discrimination by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Crime Scene Cleaners specializes in cleaning death scenes involving homicide, suicide and accidental deaths.

The EEOC says that the company violated a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on gender. The allegations stem from the company's refusal to hire a qualified female who responded to an ad for an opening with Crime Scene Cleaners back in November of 2006.

During the interview, the woman was asked if she was married, about whether her husband was jealous and if she was capable of working with men. These personal questions did not relate to her qualifications for the job. Questions regarding her experience with crime scenes or her educational background were never brought up. The woman was not hired, and Crime Scene Cleaners hired a man instead.

This type of interviewing based on stereotypes is against the law. The gender of an applicant should not be a factor for determining whether someone is or is not qualified for a job.

The EEOC lawsuit is seeking:

  • Monetary damages
  • Anti-discrimination training at the company
  • Posting of anti-discrimination notices at their offices
  • Implementation of a plan to prevent future discrimination

Crime Scene Cleaners also failed to keep required records so that the EEOC could check their hiring practices. However, the EEOC says this will not stop them from pursuing investigations into discrimination allegations and to enforce discrimination law requiring such records.

Source: EEOC Press Release, "Crime Scene Cleaners Sued For Sex Bias," Aug. 30, 2011