Brown & Brown, Inc. Resolves Lawsuit Brought by EEOC

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 03, 2017 -- Brown & Brown of Florida, Inc. (BRO) resolved a lawsuit brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in U.S. EEOC v. Brown & Brown of Florida, Inc., Case No. 6-16-cv-1326, M.D. Fla.  In the lawsuit, the EEOC claimed that Brown & Brown discriminated against an applicant by failing to hire her due to her pregnancy.  Brown & Brown denied the allegations and raised defenses to the claim, but reached a settlement to avoid protracted litigation and wasteful expense of attorneys’ fees.  

General Counsel for Brown & Brown, Bob Lloyd, emphasized the financial benefits of the settlement: “Any time you can resolve a case brought by the EEOC, which is backed by a virtually unlimited litigation budget of taxpayer money, it only makes sense to find a sensible financial resolution with no admission of wrongdoing.”  Lloyd called many of substantive terms of the consent decree redundant for Brown & Brown, which is committed to hiring and developing talented teammates without regard to their protected status: “Brown & Brown has been and always will be a Meritocracy, where all of our teammates are given an opportunity to succeed and are measured on the merits of their performance.  Brown & Brown’s commitment to our teammates’ success is paramount and our obligations under the consent decree are merely in furtherance of this commitment.”

For Katie Palmer, one of the two female Brown & Brown employees identified by the EEOC as having allegedly discriminated against the applicant, resolution of the case struck a more personal chord: “I took exception to the allegations against me and the company [Brown & Brown] that stood behind me during this case.  I just returned from maternity leave myself and learned that the case settled.  Although I will not have the opportunity to vindicate myself at trial, I will avoid the time and expense of litigation, which will allow me to focus on my job and my new family.”

Brown & Brown, Inc., through its subsidiaries, offers a broad range of insurance and reinsurance products and related services.  Additionally, certain Brown & Brown subsidiaries offer a variety of risk management, third-party administration, and other services. Serving business, public entity, individual, trade and professional association clients nationwide, Brown & Brown is ranked by Business Insurance magazine as the United States’ sixth largest independent insurance intermediary. Brown & Brown’s Web address is www.bbinsurance.com.

This press release may contain certain statements relating to future results which are forward-looking statements. These statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only Brown & Brown’s current belief regarding future events, many of which, by their nature, are inherently uncertain and outside of Brown & Brown’s control. It is possible that Brown & Brown’s actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in these forward-looking statements. Further information concerning Brown & Brown and its business, including factors that potentially could materially affect Brown & Brown’s financial results and condition, as well as its other achievements, is contained in Brown & Brown’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Such factors include those factors relevant to Brown & Brown’s consummation and integration of the announced acquisition, including any matters analyzed in the due diligence process, and material adverse changes in the business and financial condition of the seller, the buyer, or both, and their respective customers. All forward-looking statements made herein are made only as of the date of this release, and Brown & Brown does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or correct any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur or of which Brown & Brown hereafter becomes aware.

Robert W. Lloyd
General Counsel
(386) 239-5752