Prosero Management And Prestigious Entertainment To Pay $215,000 To Former Employee Amid Claims Of Sexual Harassment And Retaliation
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Prestigious Placement, Inc. and Prosero, Inc. The companies will pay $215,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought on behalf of a former employee of the companies.
According to the lawsuit, a male lead employed by Prosero subjected female employees placed by Prestigious Placement to unwelcome sexual comments. When two of the female employees complained to supervisors, they were ignored. Later Prosero terminated the employees for purported performance issues, the EEOC alleged.
Such conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from workplace discrimination, including sexual harassment, and prohibits retaliation against those who complain about sexual harassment in the workplace. The EEOC sued the companies in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Western Division after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
In addition to paying $215,000 in damages to three former employees, the two-year consent decree settling the EEOC’s lawsuit requires the owners of Prestigious to revise and distribute its anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies, post a notice in the workplace informing employees of the settlement, and provide specialized training to all supervisors, managers, and employees, on sexual harassment in the workplace. In addition, the companies have agreed to provide the EEOC with periodic reports regarding any future employee complaints of sexual harassment or retaliation including a description of each employee’s allegations and the company’s response.
Delner Franklin-Thomas, district director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, said, “Women have a right to a workplace without harassment. The EEOC welcomes the opportunity to work with employers who want to ensure their workers are free from a sexually hostile work environment.”
Analyzing the EEOC’s case
In this case, three former employees complained about sexually inappropriate comments in the workplace. Instead of acting on the complaints, the employer fired the employees based on a pretense. The EEOC was able to see through the pretense and file a lawsuit on behalf of those employees. The EEOC won its case, essentially leveraging the company to pay the former employees a total of $215,000 to settle claims of sexual harassment and retaliation.
The law holds that it’s unlawful to sexually harass an individual or harass an individual because of their sex. Harassment includes traditional “sexual harassment” or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature. However, the harassment does not need to be of a sexual nature to qualify as sexual harassment. It can include offensive remarks, such as comments about women in general, or about a person’s sex.
Talk to a Dayton, OH Sexual Harassment Lawyer Today
Have you suffered sexual harassment in the workplace? If so, you may be entitled to compensation. Call the Dayton employment lawyers at Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC today to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we can help.
