Judge Rejects County’s Effort To Dismiss LCB Lawsuit

BERLIN -- A U.S. District Court judge this week issued an opinion denying Worcester County’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed last year alleging the now-defunct Liquor Control Board (LCB) violated the federal Equal Pay Act (EPA).

Last August, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed the suit in U.S. District Court. The complaint outlines an alleged pattern by the old LCB of undercompensating female retail clerks at the agency’s retail outlets throughout the county compared to their male counterparts that performed the same job.

The allegations date back to as early as April 2010 when the county liquor dispensary operations were still run by the LCB. In 2011, amid significant controversy, the old LCB was dismantled by the General Assembly and the new county-run Department of Liquor Control (DLC) was created to fill the void. The charges of discrimination surfaced early in July 2011 after the DLC assumed control on July 1, 2011, but the allegations stem from alleged wage discrimination carried out by the LCB prior to the takeover and does not implicate the new DLC.
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