County Home |
About Your County |
County Government |
Services |
Guest Book |
Questions for the Executive
News | Phone Book | Business Development | Council | Related Resources
BA/hrc.pr Contact: Michael Fordham Dennis, 301-468-4265
HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT IN CASE
INVOLVING DRY CLEANING ESTABLISHMENT For Immediate Release: Aug. 2, 1996
On July 16, 1996, the Human Relations Commission (HRC), the Montgomery
County chapter of the National Organization for Women (N.O.W.), three
individual complainants and the manager and owners of a Montgomery County dry
cleaning establishment executed a settlement agreement to resolve formal
complaints that the dry cleaning establishment charged women different and
higher prices than men to launder and process shirts and blouses.
After investigation of the complaints, the HRC found that the prices
charged for the women's shirts and blouses were determined by the sex of the
person who brought in the shirts for processing or by the sex of the intended
wearer of the short or blouse.
The agreement required the dry cleaning establishment to refund
overcharges, to comply with the County's statute which prohibits
discriminatory pricing, to send letters of apology to the complainants, to
post a sign with the nondiscriminatory pricing policy in a conspicuous
location inside the store that is visible and readable, and to advocate for
nondiscriminatory pricing policies in regular business contacts.
The Montgomery County Code, Chapter 27, Article I, Subtitle:
Discrimination in Places of Public Accommodation, Section 27-9, prohibits dry
cleaners from charging women higher prices than men to launder their shirts
-more-
HUMAN RELATINS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT . 2-2-2-2
and blouses because they are women or because the shirts and blouses are worn
by women. The Code applies to all dry cleaning and laundering establishments
in the County, regardless of size and type of equipment used to launder shirts
and blouses or the location where the work is done.
As part of the settlement, the HRC agreed to send this news release and
a sample nondiscriminatory pricing policy poster to all dry cleaning
establishments in Montgomery County to encourage compliance with the
provisions of the Public Accommodations law which prohibits discrimination
based on sex. The poster asks customers to report any instance of
overcharging to the Commission, which can levy a $1,000 fine per violation and
seek refunds and damage awards for customers who are overcharged.
The Human Relations Commission investigates and resolves formal
complaints of discrimination in employment, real estate and public
accommodations on the bases of race, color, religious creed, ancestry,
national origin, age (for real estate and employment disputes only), sex,
marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental handicap, as well as
presence of children and source of income (real estate only).
Complaints can be filed in person with the Commission at 164 Rollins
Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852; or by phone at 301-468-4265; TDD/TTY 301-468-
4198.
# # #
County Home |
About Your County |
County Government |
Services |
Guest Book |
Questions for the Executive