Phil Cannella Lawsuit – Phil Cannella Declared Not Guilty by EEOC


Phil Cannella Lawsuit: Phil Cannella survived yet another attempt to not only smear his reputation but effectively take him out of business through the filing of fictitious discrimination claims with state and federal agencies. The people behind these frivolous claims sought to extort money out of Phil in order to go away.

Phil Cannella Lawsuit: It is common knowledge today that consumers resort to the Internet to conduct research on business and people they are considering doing business with. What better way to ruin a business is there than by writing false reviews about a person or business? Or one can take that to another level and file bogus discrimination claims with state and federal agencies and then see to it that the news gets picked up by local media and posted all over the Internet.

Phil Cannella Lawsuit: Such was the character of claims and actions taken by Phil Cannella’s competitors and adversaries who desperately wanted to see him out of business for they were envious of his success and hurt by his marketing prowess and growing market share. These people got a couple of former disgruntled employees on board and sought to file complaints with governmental authorities in order to take him down.

Phil Cannella Lawsuit: One such complaint was a discrimination charge filed by a former employee who made all manner of contrived statements to the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission). He attempted not only to extort money out of Phil in order to go away, but more importantly he knew that the press would pick up such a story for Phil Cannella is not just in the news he is the news.

Phil Cannella Lawsuit: The EEOC has a very important role for there are many cases of discrimination that do occur in the workplace and someone has to investigate these and protect the innocent from abuse. The EEOC also has the responsibility to make sure that employers are not taken advantage of by those who wish to abuse the system. The EEOC’s role is explained well here:

Phil Cannella Lawsuit: “The EEOC has the authority to investigate charges of discrimination against employers who are covered by the law. Our role in an investigation is to fairly and accurately assess the allegations in the charge and then make a finding. If we find that discrimination has occurred, we will try to settle the charge. If we aren’t successful, we have the authority to file a lawsuit to protect the rights of individuals and the interests of the public. We do not, however, file lawsuits in all cases where we find discrimination.”

“We also work to prevent discrimination before it occurs through outreach, education and technical assistance programs.”

“The EEOC provides leadership and guidance to federal agencies on all aspects of the federal government’s equal employment opportunity program. EEOC assures federal agency and department compliance with EEOC regulations, provides technical assistance to federal agencies concerning EEO complaint adjudication, monitors and evaluates federal agencies’ affirmative employment programs, develops and distributes federal sector educational materials and conducts training for stakeholders, provides guidance and assistance to our Administrative Judges who conduct hearings on EEO complaints, and adjudicates appeals from administrative decisions made by federal agencies on EEO complaints.” http://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/

In the interest of protecting the individual from any possible backlash, the claimant’s name has been omitted from this article. This individual made numerous claims, too many to list here. Among them and intrinsic to the complaint that he filed with the EEOC was that he was discriminated against because of a disability he had and because of his age. Both of these are hot buttons for the EEOC for it is not uncommon that an employer will seek to push out a disabled employee or an aged worker because the employer may regard them as less productive than a younger, more fit employee.

This however was not the case between Phil Cannella and this former employee. Phil Cannella had gone out of his way to provide assistance and succor to this employee to facilitate his needs. Phil Cannella is not a man who desires to discriminate against others because of their race, color, religion, age or disability. In the workplace Phil Cannella demonstrates, through his actions, a very diverse culture among the people who work for him.

This attack against his reputation hurt Phil after all he had done to help this employee at times of need. It is a poor commentary of our civilization that those who are jealous of the success  of others utilize various avenues in order to take advantage of the system. The EEOC is there to protect employees who have been wrongfully harassed and abused in the workplace. It is not there to allow people to take advantage of their employers.

Fortunately, Phil Cannella, as a man who upholds a high level of discipline and ethics whenever and wherever possible, found himself in this position of being taken advantage of in such a way. In order to defend his position, Phil documented all the efforts he took to help this particular employee, far beyond what he might have done for anyone else in his employ. His actions demonstrated the care he took to provide a comfortable workplace for all and this elderly employee in particular.

After a costly and drawn out defense, but one that was certainly worth it in all respects, Phil Cannella was found fully and completely innocent of any wrongdoing and the case against him was dismissed in full. The EEOC investigated the matter and after much deliberation found that Phil Cannella had not harassed or discriminated against this employee in any way.

This ruling is yet another testament that speaks to what Phil Cannella stands for in business and life.


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