It’s hard to imagine the mental toll it takes on someone to have to experience a hostile work environment caused by sexual harassment. To be subjected to unwanted physical touching, propositions for sex, and the tension of hostility permeating the workplace.
A New York supermarket will pay $285,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
According to EEOC’s lawsuit, a department manager of the New York supermarket physically and verbally sexually harassed two female workers under his supervision at the facility, then fired them because they resisted his advances. The harassment included comments about their appearance, propositions for sex, forced kissing, and other unwanted touching. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Sept. 30, 2018, after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
The three-year consent decree resolving the case provides that, in addition to paying $285,000, the company will adopt new policies and procedures to prevent and report sexual harassment and will train its managers and staff on identifying and preventing sexual harassment and retaliation. The policies and staff training will be available in Spanish. The decree also requires that the company investigate any complaints of sexual harassment it receives and provide copies of its investigations to the EEOC. The EEOC will monitor the company’s compliance with these obligations and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for the next three years.
