Texas Sexual Harassment Retaliation Lawsuit

In a Press Release at http://www.eeoc.gov/press/9-23-09i.html , the U. S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (”EEOC”) announced that agency attorneys filed a federal discrimination lawsuit in Texas in which the EEOC alleges that a Richardson, Texas company violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by subjecting a female employee to sexual harassment and firing her in retaliation for filing a formal complaint with the EEOC’s Dallas District Office.  According to the September 23, 2009 Press Release, EEOC attorneys charge in the harassment lawsuit that the female employee was subjected to an environment in which her male co-workers made sexually explicit and hostile remarks on a daily basis.  The EEOC also claims that she complained to management and Human Resources about the behavior but the company failed to take action reasonably calculated to stop the harassment.  As discussed in the Press Release, she was selected for layoff shortly after she filed a formal complaint with the EEOC’s Dallas office.  EEOC attorneys filed the lawsuit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. 

An EEOC attorney quoted in the Press Release stated that “Unfortunately, there is a belief in some workplaces that women should have to adjust to abusive language and behavior.”  An EEOC Dallas attorney added his thoughts, criticizing those companies which put greater value on the freedom to harass women than on the value of a healthier workplace marked by courtesy and respect for co-workers.  Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency’s website at www.eeoc.gov . 

Whether employment related sexual harassment and retaliation for complaining about it occurs in Dallas, Richardson, Tyler or elsewhere in Texas, sexual harassment victims may contact the EEOC and an attorney to determine if a Texas sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit is ultimately appropriate under the particular facts and circumstances of the potential employment discrimination claim.