Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settlement

Sexual harassment and retaliation for complaining about it violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  In this regard, the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) is a federal agency which enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination, including sexual harassment.  In a Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-23-09b.html , the EEOC announced that a freight company agreed to pay $120,000.00 to settle a gender-based harassment and retaliation lawsuit on behalf of a former clerk.  According to the September 23, 2009 Press Release, an EEOC investigation revealed that a facility manager subjected the female 44 year-old Hispanic clerk to a barrage of insults and criticism in front of coworkers and customers almost every day.  As stated in the Press Release, none of the male employees at the facility were treated this way; instead, the manager would allegedly address issues with male employees behind closed doors.  EEOC attorneys charged in the lawsuit that when the female clerk finally reported the harassment to the company hotline and the regional director, she was terminated in less than a week.  An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release stated that being made the target of public humiliation and abuse because of one’s gender violates the law.  An EEOC Director added, “A Company Hotline is pointless if employees see that the outcome for using it is punishment for speaking out about issues.”