Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Claiming Victim Received Graphic Sexual Images & Videos Filed By EEOC
In a press release issued on February 27, 2020, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced that it has filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Fox Glenview, LLC, DP Fox Ventures, LLC, and Fox Illinois Staffing, LLC, d/b/a Chicago Harley Davidson (Chicago Harley Davidson). On September 27, 2019, the EEOC filed the case, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Fox Glenview, LLC, DP Fox Ventures, LLC, and Fox Illinois Staffing, LLC, d/b/a Chicago Harley Davidson, Case No. 1:20-cv-01436, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois after initially trying to resolve the case without the necessity of litigation through its lawfully required conciliation process.
The EEOC has commenced the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) on behalf of a former employee of Chicago Harley Davidson, Amy Hartman (Hartman). Title VII makes it an unlawful employment practice for employers to discriminate against employees on the basis of sex. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination made unlawful by Title VII. Employees are also protected by Title VII from retaliation when they complain about perceived sexual harassment in the workplace. As determined by the U.S. Supreme Court in Meritor Sav. Bank v. Vinson, 477 U.S. 57 (1986), employees are not required to run a “gauntlet of sexual abuse in return for the privilege of being allowed to work and make a living.”
The EEOC alleges that Chicago Harley Davidson violated Title VII by requiring Hartman to work in a sexual hostile work environment. The EEOC further alleges that Chicago Harley Davidson violated Title VII by firing Hartman because she complained about sexual harassment. In this article, our Marion County, Florida sexual harassment victims’ lawyers explain the EEOC’s allegations against Chicago Harley Davidson.
Employee Claims Sexual Hostile Environment
Hartman was employed as a business manager at Chicago Harley Davidson’s dealership in Glenview, Illinois. Throughout her employment, according to the EEOC, Hartman was subjected to severe and pervasive sexual harassment by managers and co-workers. The sexual hostile work environment harassment Hartman endured included comments about her body, requests to wear more revealing clothing, sexual comments, sexual propositions, and received graphic sexual images and videos.
The EEOC claims that Chicago Harley Davidson was aware of the sexually harassing behavior towards Hartman because Hartman and other employees complained about the conduct and the conduct was perpetrated, in part, by managers or in the presence of managers. Despite having knowledge of the sexual harassment of Hartman, the EEOC contends, Chicago Harley Davidson failed to take prompt and effective remedial action to stop the harassment. Instead of taking corrective action, the EEOC maintains, Chicago Harley Davidson retaliated against Hartman by firing her after she complained.
Fighting For Sexual Harassment Victims
The EEOC is the administrative agency of the United States charged with interpreting and enforcing federal employment laws prohibiting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. In enforcing the federal employment laws, the EEOC is also authorized by federal law to file lawsuits on behalf of sexual harassment and retaliation victims. In a press release issued by the EEOC on February 27, 2020 regarding the case, the Director for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, Julianne Bowman, explained that the EEOC “takes claims of sexual harassment very seriously and the agency is dedicated to ensuring that women in the workplace are protected from unwelcome sexual comments and propositions at work.” In commenting on the case, a regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office, Gregory Gochanour, observed that “we see cases like this too often where employers retaliate against the victim of discrimination rather than taking steps to stop the misconduct.”
Consult With Ocala Sex Harassment Victims’ Lawyers
Based in Ocala, Florida and representing employees throughout Central Florida, our Marion County, Florida sexual harassment victims’ attorneys have been dedicated their practice to fighting against employers who have required employees to work in a sexually hostile work environment. If you have been required to work in a sexually hostile work environment or have questions about your rights under the federal employment laws as a sexual harassment victim, please contact our office for a free consultation with our Ocala, Florida sexual harassment victims’ lawyers. Our employment and labor law attorneys take hostile work environment sexual harassment cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that there are no attorney’s fees incurred unless there is a recovery and our attorney’s fees come solely from the monetary award that you recover.