Ground Zero Blues Club Biloxi settles federal sexual harassment, retaliation lawsuit

BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- A well-known Biloxi music venue will pay $35,000 to settle a federal sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s lawsuit in the matter alleges that one of the co-owners of the Ground Zero Blues Club repeatedly made sexual comments and had unwelcome physical contact with an assistant manager.

The agency also claimed that company failed to protect the employee and fired her in September 2023 after she reported the alleged harassment.

As part of the settlement, Ground Zero Biloxi will also provide other relief.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in the Southern District of Mississippi.

In a press release, the EECO said:

This alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Ground Zero Biloxi LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-00173-TBM-RPM) in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.