A black travel agency in Morocco has lost over $192 million in a lawsuit filed by its former employer over racial discrimination and poor performance.
BlackTravel and its affiliates have faced criticism for failing to recruit the most qualified African-American applicants and failing to offer them the same benefits as white applicants.
The company had raised money from international investors and was seeking to close in January.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, saying BlackTravel failed to adequately train its employees to ensure their competence and competency to perform their jobs.
BlackTravel’s former head of recruitment, who had been with the company for four years, left the company in June 2016 after a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment.
The plaintiffs alleged that BlackTravel discriminated against black applicants by refusing to pay them the benefits offered to white applicants, and failing not to recruit or promote them when it was time to hire or terminate them.
Blacktravel was also accused of hiring workers who had little or no experience in the travel industry, according to the lawsuit.
The company said it had reached an agreement with the plaintiffs in March to settle the lawsuit, and it plans to hire a third person to oversee its hiring practices.
