A Denver-based food distribution company agreed to pay $1.5 million, review its hiring policies and provide annual employee training to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit, federal officials announced Friday.
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The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought the lawsuit against Mile Hi Foods Co. in September 2024, alleging the company violated the federal Civil Rights Act by discriminating against female, Black and Afghan job applicants and unlawfully firing a human resources manager who opposed discriminatory hiring directives.
Mile Hi Foods’ chief operating executive directed employees to limit the percentage of Black applicants it hired because he believed Black employees were “lazy,” to not hire women for warehouse jobs and to stop hiring Afghan applicants for bakery jobs, the original complaint alleges. The company produces baked goods for national chain restaurants, distributes supplies to fast-food restaurants and provides delivery services for food suppliers and distributors.
Mile Hi Foods maintains in an August consent decree that it did not violate the Civil Rights Act or any federal, state or local laws. The company’s attorneys could not be reached for comment Saturday.
The company agreed in the consent decree to pay $600,000 to the human resources manager, and an undetermined amount to female, Black and Afghan job applicants whom the company didn’t hire.
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The company also must hire a consultant to evaluate and revise its existing hiring policies, train all employees on anti-discrimination laws, maintain applicant records and submit annual reports to the federal employment commission, the consent decree states.
The consent decree is set to last for three years but could be extended if the company doesn’t comply with the conditions.
“Federal law prohibits retaliation against workers who refuse to participate in unlawful discrimination,” Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix district, said in a statement. “No employer may refuse to hire qualified individuals because of their sex, race or national origin, regardless of any preference its owners or managers may hold.”
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