3 REAL-WORLD Examples of Sexual Harassment Lawsuits

Описание: There is a fine line between workplace antics and sexual harassment. Jokes can turn into harassment if the remark is offensive or becomes repetitive.

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Unfortunately, a lot of people endure sexual harassment during their careers. In fact, 43% of men experience sexual harassment or assault at some point in their lifetime. This pales in comparison to the 81% of women who reported the same.

The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) created several laws making it illegal to harass a job applicant or active employee. Speaking of which, 2022 saw several sexual harassment lawsuits and settlements.

The EEOC filed a lawsuit against staffing agency and shipbuilder. Let’s call them Company Staff and Ship Inc. Company Staff sent some female employees to work on a cleaning crew at a Ship Inc. shipyard somewhere in the U.S. While on the cleaning crew, the women found themselves in a hostile work environment. When they filed a complaint about sexual harassment, the women faced retaliation. More specifically, a male Ship Inc. employee working as a superintendent made sexual comments to female employees… engaged in lewd acts in front of female employees… threaten to fire the women if they did not protest and accept his sexual advances… and sexually assaulted two female employees. You see, two of the female employees reported this sexual harassment to their immediate and higher-level superiors at Company Staff. They also made a complaint to Ship Inc.

The situation violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law prohibits an employer from allowing a sexually hostile work environment. The law also prevents a company from retaliating against employees who file a complaint about such situations.

The EEOC’s Mobile Local Office completed an investigation of the situation and determined that the situation constituted illegal conduct. The settlement involves a thirty-month consent decree. Company Staff and Ship Inc. will need to pay $350,000 to at least three victims. The companies will develop or revise policies/procedures to prevent and correct sexual harassment. The companies are also required to conduct harassment training for employees and managers as a means to ensure compliance with the law.

An LLC in Vermont who owns and operates some fast food restaurants in the New England area. Let's call this company Greasy Foods LLC. The EEOC filed a lawsuit when after they learned of allegations about a sexually hostile work environment against employees, most of which are teenagers. According to the suit, a male night shift manager inappropriately touched employees. The inappropriate conduct includes… groping various body parts, making derogatory comments, and making threats of physical harm. The lawsuit also alleges that the company retaliated against at least one employee. The retaliation involved revoking her disability-related reasonable accommodation. The company then forced her to quit after she made complaints about the company’s actions.

Greasy Foods Inc. settled with the EEOC. The settlement requires the company to reform its business practices to prevent further harassment. The settlement requires the company to establish a settlement fund of $1.2 million for the victims of harassment. The company will pay $125,000 in civil penalties and legal fees to the state of Vermont. The estate of one of the victims will receive a separate $275,000. In total, the company must now pay $1.6 million in damages.

A Virginia-based health and wellness provider, let's call them Military Health, provides healthcare to military service members. A male employee subjected a female coworker to sexual harassment in 2018. The alleged sexual harassment took the form of both verbal and physical harassment. Unfortunately, there’s no more information about the situation. According to a lawsuit filed by the EEOC, Military Health failed to take appropriate action after learning of the harassment. When the woman filed a complaint, the company retaliated against her.

Such a situation violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It’s illegal to discriminate based on sex and retaliate against someone reporting the discrimination.

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