EEOC Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settlement

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including sex discrimination and sexual harassment which violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  In an EEOC October 29, 2009 Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/10-29-09.html , agency lawyers announced that an automobile dealership will pay $455,000.00 and provide substantial remedial relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the EEOC.  According to the Press Release, EEOC lawyers charged in the case that five female employees of the company were subjected to unwelcome sexual comments and conduct, including repeated requests for sexual favors and sexually explicit language in the workplace.  The EEOC contends that multiple salesmen and sales managers took part in the harassment over a period of several years.  As stated in the Press Release, the EEOC also maintains that the company retaliated against one of the women by firing her because she complained about the unlawful comments and conduct.  An EEOC lawyer quoted in the Press Release stated, in part, that “Many of the women involved in this suit were in their teens or early twenties when they worked at the dealership, where sexual harassment seemed to be the norm, and they felt they had no choice but to put up with it.”  EEOC lawyers filed the sexual harassment lawsuit after the EEOC first attempted to reach a voluntary settlement.  Further information about the EEOC and the laws it enforces is available at www.eeoc.gov . 

Whether employment related sexual harassment occurs in Beaumont, Galveston, Houston or elsewhere, victims of workplace sex discrimination may contact the EEOC or a lawyer to determine if a sexual harassment lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular circumstances and facts of the potential employment discrimination claim.