In June 2018, the claimant, a black, female caregiver, allegedly overheard co-workers at Brookdale Senior Living Communities Inc., an assisted living facility in Auburn, make a racially insensitive comment. She complained about what she heard and was ultimately terminated from her position on June 27, 2018. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Brookdale Senior Living Communities Inc., alleging that the defendant’s actions constituted violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC claimed that the caregiver told her co-workers that she felt uncomfortable about the comment she heard. However, the EEOC claimed that as a result, the caregiver was required to attend a meeting on June 18, 2018, by the executive director of the facility and that the caregiver was required to justify why she was offended by the comment at the meeting. The next day, the caregiver reportedly lodged a complaint with Brookdale’s complaint hotline. The EEOC claimed that after the caregiver made the complaint, she was suspended, pending an investigation, and that even though the caregiver called several times to ask when she could return to work, she was accused of abandoning her position and was fired on June 27, 2018. Defense counsel disputed the claimant’s allegations. The executive director for Brookdale Senior Living Communities claimed that the caregiver did not respond to repeated attempts to contact her, so the caregiver was fired for abandoning her position., The EEOC sought recovery for the claimant’s loss of pay and noneconomic damages.