The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on October 24, 2024, that it had reached a settlement agreement with State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company after determining that one of the company’s corporate offices in Richardson, Texas, violated the law when it terminated a worker in retaliation for raising concerns about citizenship status discrimination.
DOJ said that its Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section determined that State Farm unlawfully terminated a worker and placed her on a “do not hire” list because she opposed State Farm’s rejection of her valid documentation showing that she was authorized to work. State Farm rejected her Permanent Resident Card with a notice from the Department of Homeland Security that extended the validity of the card past its expiration date.
Under the terms of the settlement, the company will pay civil penalties of $4,610 and will pay more than $30,000 in back pay to the affected worker. The agreement also requires that State Farm train its personnel on the anti-discrimination requirements of the Immigration and Nationality Act, revise its employment policies, and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.