Hire Dynamics LLC was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over allegations the Duluth, Ga.-based staffing firm retaliated against an employee because he filed a discrimination charge, the EEOC reported. The agency is seeking back pay and compensatory and punitive damages, as well as injunctive relief prohibiting the company from engaging in any further such retaliatory practices.

The lawsuit claims that the employee was assigned to one of Hire Dynamics' clients as a quality auditor. The employee was suspended for a week for missing one day of work, after which he filed a discrimination charge against the company, according to the EEOC.  After that, the EEOC said, he was never given any further job assignments or opportunities as retaliation.

“When an employee files a discrimination charge with the EEOC, an employer has no right to punish him for exercising his rights,” said EEOC District Director Bernice Williams Kimbrough. “In today's employment climate, the importance of protecting workers who utilize the charge filing process is greater than ever.”