RD's

ProEnglish to Help Arizona Family Defend Itself Against EEOC Lawsuit Over English Language Workplace Rules

ProEnglish
News Release
Nov. 12, 2002

(Arlington, VA) The head of the nation's leading legal advocates for official English announced today that it was coming to the aid of an Arizona family facing bankruptcy due to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit which charged that the family with illegal discrimination over its English language workplace rule.

The suit filed Sept. 27 in U.S. District Court against Richard and Shauna Kidman, owners of RD's Drive-In Restaurant in Page, Arizona, and their son Steve, manager of the family-owned business, charges that the Kidmans' policy of requiring the restaurant's Navajo employees to use English on the job constitutes prohibited "national origin" discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 civil rights law.

In announcing the decision ProEnglish executive director K.C. McAlpin commented, "It is not illegal for an employer to ask its employees to speak a language on the job that the employer can understand, and the EEOC knows it. Arizona is in the 9th Circuit and there is a well-known 9th Circuit case called Garcia v. Spun Steak that specifically rejected the language equals national origin equation at the heart of this EEOC complaint against the Kidmans." McAlpin added, "The EEOC's Phoenix office is attempting to bully this family into signing a consent agreement contrary to settled law by threatening the family-owned business and the Kidmans themselves with financial ruin through protracted litigation."

McAlpin also appealed for others to come to the aid of the Kidmans because ProEnglish can help pay only part of their expenses. He said, "The Kidman family is facing enormous legal cost to defend themselves against this illegitimate lawsuit. They have established a website "rddrivein.com," to help them raise money for their defense. I urge people to contact them, sign the online petition protesting the EEOC's action, and donate whatever they can.

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Action Urge Congress to defend English Model official English statute Donate Current Legislation State Profiles Issues Official English Bilingual Education English on the Job Citizenship and Immigration Bilingual Ballots Puerto Rican Statehood Ending E.O. 13166, the "Multilingual Mandate" Contact us: 1601 N. Kent St. Suite 1100 Arlington, VA 22209 ph: (703) 816-8821		ProEnglish to Help Arizona Family Defend Itself Against EEOC Lawsuit Over English Language Workplace Rules ProEnglish News Release Nov. 12, 2002 (Arlington, VA) The head of the nation's leading legal advocates for official English announced today that it was coming to the aid of an Arizona family facing bankruptcy due to an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit which charged that the family with illegal discrimination over its English language workplace rule. The suit filed Sept. 27 in U.S. District Court against Richard and Shauna Kidman, owners of RD's Drive-In Restaurant in Page, Arizona, and their son Steve, manager of the family-owned business, charges that the Kidmans' policy of requiring the restaurant's Navajo employees to use English on the job constitutes prohibited "national origin" discrimination under Title VII of the 1964 civil rights law. In announcing the decision ProEnglish executive director K.C. McAlpin commented, "It is not illegal for an employer to ask its employees to speak a language on the job that the employer can understand, and the EEOC knows it. Arizona is in the 9th Circuit and there is a well-known 9th Circuit case called Garcia v. Spun Steak that specifically rejected the language equals national origin equation at the heart of this EEOC complaint against the Kidmans." McAlpin added, "The EEOC's Phoenix office is attempting to bully this family into signing a consent agreement contrary to settled law by threatening the family-owned business and the Kidmans themselves with financial ruin through protracted litigation." McAlpin also appealed for others to come to the aid of the Kidmans because ProEnglish can help pay only part of their expenses. He said, "The Kidman family is facing enormous legal cost to defend themselves against this illegitimate lawsuit. They have established a website "rddrivein.com," to help them raise money for their defense. I urge people to contact them, sign the online petition protesting the EEOC's action, and donate whatever they can. Other Press releases .