DeKalb County, Retaliation for Filing Complaint, Georgia 2024

ATLANTA – In a case of brazen workplace retaliation, DeKalb County, Georgia, has been forced to settle with the U.S. government over allegations that it terminated an administrative assistant after she filed a sexual harassment complaint.

Cemetra Brooks, the victim, filed a complaint with DeKalb County alleging her supervisor, the deputy director of the county’s Facilities Management Department, subjected her to unwelcome sexual advances, comments, and conduct. The county’s still-active investigation into Brooks’ complaint later substantiated these claims.

However, just one month after Brooks filed her complaint, her supervisor’s supervisor, the director, contacted human resources asking for information from the investigation that would help him fire Brooks while she remained on probation. The director extended Brooks’ probation by three months on advice from a high-level county official. But near the end of her extended probation, the director fired Brooks without giving her any reason.

The U.S. government alleged that DeKalb County retaliated against Brooks in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of sex and prohibits retaliation against employees for opposing employment practices that are discriminatory under Title VII.

“Discrimination in the workplace is toxic,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “An employee who faces discrimination in the workplace should be able to freely exercise their rights under Title VII without fear of retaliation.”

Under the settlement agreement, DeKalb County will pay Cemetra Brooks $190,000 for lost wages and compensatory damages. The county is also required to develop, and submit to the U.S. government for approval, anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies. Additionally, the county must provide its supervisors and managers in the Facilities Management Department with training on those policies and on the types of workplace conduct that constitute unlawful employment practices under Title VII.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Aileen Bell-Hughes handled this matter for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Defendant: DeKalb County, Georgia. Crime: Retaliation for Filing Complaint. City and State: Atlanta, Georgia. Date: Not specified. Sentence or Outcome: DeKalb County will pay Cemetra Brooks $190,000 and implement anti-discrimination policies.

The full and fair enforcement of Title VII is a top priority of the U.S. government. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division and the jurisdiction of the Employment Litigation Section is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/ and www.justice.gov/crt/employment-litigation-section.

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