James A. Scott & Son Inc., Immigration-Related Discrimination, Virginia 2024

Grimy Times Exposes Insurance Agency’s Dirty Dealings

A local insurance agency in Lynchburg, Virginia, has been caught red-handed in a case of immigration-related discrimination. James A. Scott & Son Inc., doing business as Scott Insurance, has agreed to settle with the government over claims that they discriminated against non-U.S. citizens in hiring practices.

The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department found that Scott Insurance routinely discriminated against non-U.S. citizens by failing to consider and hire them due to their citizenship status. In one instance, the agency asked a lawful permanent resident for his Permanent Resident Card to prove his permission to work and then rejected the valid documentation he provided.

The anti-discrimination provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) protects U.S. citizens, non-U.S. citizen nationals, refugees, asylees, and recent lawful permanent residents from hiring discrimination based on their citizenship status. Employers are prohibited from limiting or specifying the types of documentation a worker is allowed to show to prove permission to work, because of a worker’s citizenship, immigration status, or national origin.

Under the settlement, Scott Insurance will pay $9,500 in civil penalties to the United States and up to $70,000 in back pay to affected workers. The settlement also requires Scott Insurance to train employees on the requirements of the INA’s anti-discrimination provision and be subject to departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.

The Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section (IER) is responsible for enforcing the anti-discrimination provision of the INA. The statute prohibits discrimination based on citizenship status and national origin in hiring, firing, or recruitment or referral for a fee, unfair documentary practices, and retaliation and intimidation.

Applicants or employees who believe they were discriminated against based on their citizenship, immigration status, or national origin in hiring, firing, recruitment, or during the employment eligibility verification process (Form I-9 and E-Verify); or subjected to retaliation, may file a charge. The public can also call IER’s worker hotline at 1-800-255-7688 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); call IER’s employer hotline at 1-800-255-8155 (1-800-237-2515, TTY for hearing impaired); email ier@usdoj.gov; sign up for a free webinar; or visit IER’s English and Spanish websites.

James A. Scott & Son Inc., Crime: Immigration-Related Discrimination, State: Virginia, Year: 2024

Related Federal Cases