EEOC Sexual Harassment Settlement

Sexual harassment is a type of sex discrimination which violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as state laws, and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including sexual harassment.  In an EEOC Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/10-21-09.html , agency lawyers announced that a California mental health rehabilitation center has agreed to provide $145,000 and take significant remedial measures to settle a federal discrimination lawsuit charging that a male supervisor subjected a group of female employees to a pervasive sexually hostile work environment for several years.  According to the October 21, 2009 Press Release, EEOC lawyers alleged in the lawsuit that the supervisor subjected nine women to a constant barrage of crude sexual comments and unwelcome physical touching.  As stated in the EEOC Press Release, the company failed to act on harassment reported to supervisors for eight months and its belated response was wholly inadequate.  EEOC lawyers filed the sexual harassment lawsuit after first attempting to reach a voluntary out of court settlement.