FRESNO
A Tulare County grower of table grapes will pay $1.6 million to settle a federal lawsuit over discriminatory hiring practices.
Officials of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced the settlement Wednesday after finding that Kovacevich 5 Farms hired no women between 1998 and 2002 for its 300 seasonal positions.
Six female job applicants filed the complaint.
Officials of Kovacevich 5 Farms denied wrongdoing but agreed to the fine. The company will also post a notice and set timetables for hiring women.
Gender-based discrimination is a violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
