EEOC Settlement Resolves Race Bias Suit Against Home Health Firm
Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC agreed to pay $41,137 after a federal suit over race-based home visit assignments and a firing.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Nursing Jobs
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Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC agreed to pay $41,137 and provide other relief to settle a race discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC said the private in-home health provider assigned visits based on employees' race and fired a Black certified nurse assistant within 48 hours of her complaint.
Why it matters
The case shows how race-based scheduling of home visits can disadvantage workers and how retaliation after a complaint can compound harm. For Michigan's home health workforce, the consent decree requires annual training and reporting on race discrimination complaints.
The EEOC lawsuit settlement totals $41,137 and a five-year consent decree, with the Black employee assigned Grand Blanc visits 5 times in two months versus more than 135 times for three white colleagues. The extraction does not say whether additional employees were affected beyond the terminated worker.
The players
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
The federal agency that enforces laws against workplace discrimination and brought the lawsuit against the company.
Mid-Michigan Home Health & Hospice LLC
A private in-home health care provider serving central Michigan that agreed to the settlement.
The details
The EEOC alleged the company assigned home visits based on race, giving a white certified nurse assistant more visits than a Black colleague hired a month earlier. A supervisor reportedly told the Black employee that a white coworker could go places she could not because Grand Blanc residents did not care for Black people, and she was fired within 48 hours of complaining about the reassignments.
Timeline
April 2023: Mid-Michigan hired the Black certified nurse assistant.
About one month later: The company hired a white certified nurse assistant and assigned her more visits.
Within 48 hours of her complaint: The Black employee was terminated.
November 3, 2026: The EEOC announced the settlement.
Legal Context
The case is enforced under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars race discrimination and retaliation in employment. The consent decree's annual training and reporting requirements follow the monitoring model the EEOC uses to address employer practices beyond a single payout.
Home health aides and nurse assistants in Michigan may see clearer rules on how visit assignments are made and how complaints are handled. The settlement's training and annual reporting requirements apply to the company's workforce across its service area.
The takeaway
Workers who notice assignments that track race should document the pattern and report it promptly. Employers should review how visits and shifts are distributed to ensure decisions are based on job criteria, not protected characteristics.
Further reading
For more on staffing and working conditions, browse Nursing Jobs coverage.
More information
Learn more about workplace protections in the EEOC race and color discrimination information resource.
Source note: This article includes information reported by U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
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