Ethics Newsline®

CHICAGO
Pizza Hut Inc. last week agreed to pay at least $160,000 and provide racial-sensitivity training to all employees who deal with the public as part of the company’s settlement of a racial-discrimination lawsuit.

Pizza Hut was not required to admit any wrongdoing in the case, launched by a black family who charged Pizza Hut with racial discrimination after being denied service at an Illinois restaurant in June 1996.

The settlement reached in May was supposed to remain confidential, but the Chicago Tribune published details after receiving a copy of the 14-page agreement last week, the Associated Press reported.

Pizza Hut director of public relations Jay Allison insisted that his company’s decision to expand its sensitivity training was merely an acceleration of an existing program in effect for more than 20 years.