EEOC Sues Davis & Davis Enterprise / All Secure Security for Pay Discrimination

Baltimore Security Company Paid Female Employees Less Than Male Coworkers, Federal Agency Charged

BALTIMORE - Davis & Davis Enterprise, Inc., also known as All Secure Security Company, a Baltimore-based security guard provider, violated federal law when it paid a class of female security guards less than their male counterparts, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, since at least Oct. 30, 2016, the security guard provider intentionally paid a class of at least 11 female security guards lower wages than those paid to their male counterparts, despite their performing equal work under similar working conditions at events in Baltimore. This adverse treatment deprived a class of female employees of equal employment opportunities and otherwise adversely affected their status as employees because of their sex.

Such alleged conduct violates the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Davis & Davis Enterprise, Inc. t/a All Security Group Company, Civil Action No. 1:19-cv-01625-CCB) in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Baltimore Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages for the class of female employees, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination against females regarding their compensation and terms and conditions of employment. The EEOC also seeks measures to prevent Davis & Davis from engaging in retaliation against employees who oppose practices made unlawful by Title VII and the EPA.

"It is fundamentally unfair, and illegal, to pay women less than men for doing the same work," said EEOC Regional Attorney Debra M. Lawrence. "The EEOC will step in to fight for people's rights against sex-based wage discrimination." 

EEOC Philadelphia District Director Jamie R. Williamson added, "Gender-based pay discrim­ination hurts employees and is often especially harmful to lower-wage earners. That is why the EEOC is committed to protecting the rights of all workers to earn equal pay for equal work."

The EEOC's Baltimore Field Office is one of four offices in the EEOC Philadelphia District Office, which has jurisdiction over Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and parts of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the EEOC Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C. and parts of Virginia.

Ensuring equal pay protections for all workers is one of the six national priorities identified by the Commission's Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP).

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.