River View was sued in 2011 by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for race discrimination violations of the Civil Rights Act.

The EEOC suit filed against the Union County, western Kentucky company claimed that federal laws were violated by River View’s denial of employment to black applicants.

The commission said 13 people had filed complaints.

“A class of qualified black applicants were denied jobs in underground mining positions at River View Coal’s mine [in Waverly] since at least August 2008 because of their race,” the suit stated.

Case 4:11-cv-117 was filed in the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Owensboro Division, after the EEOC first attempted to reach a pre-litigation settlement.

The agency is seeking back pay as well as compensatory and punitive damages from River View Coal, which began producing coal in 2009. Its Waverly mine employs around 430 people.

The EEOC is also requesting other relief, including a permanent injunction to prevent the company engaging in hiring discrimination in the future.

“Employers must choose employees based on their qualifications and not on the color of their skin,” EEOC Indianapolis district office regional attorney Laurie Young said in 2011.

An attorney for the EEOC, Aime McFerren, told the Associated Press on Friday a settlement had not yet been reached and attorneys continued to work on a resolution.

Court records indicated the parties reached an "amicable resolution" in late May and the case has been removed from the active docket.

A spokesman for Alliance told the AP on Friday that River View denies the allegations.