In July 2012, we reported that a class of African American plaintiffs had sued the retailer Wet Seal for race discrimination. In support of their claims, the plaintiffs obtained emails that contained powerful evidence of race discrimination. Wet Seal and the plaintiffs recently settled this case. As a result of the settlement, Wet Seal will, among other things, pay $7.5 million, change its policies to increase the racial diversity of its employees, and expand its human resources department so that it can better investigate discrimination complaints.
“With this settlement, Wet Seal is attempting to right its wrongs,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. “The fight for equality in the workplace is far from over in America.”