EEOC Files Lawsuit Against Sega, Spherion

The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against Sega of America Inc. and Spherion Corp., alleging the companies fired 12 Filipino workers because of their national origin.

The workers were employed by Spherion, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based temporary employment agency, but worked at Sega’s San Francisco offices to test video games, the EEOC said. Sega fired the workers after another employee complained that the Filipino testers were getting preferential treatment, said Cindy O’Hara, an EEOC attorney handling the case.

Sega also fired the employee who complained, along with four of his friends, the EEOC said. A Sega spokeswoman declined to comment. Spherion did not return calls.