HONOLULU, Hawaii — East Hawaii Veterinary Center, LLC, a veterinary clinic in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii, will pay $101,000 and furnish other relief to settle a federal sexual and gender-based harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. According to the EEOC’s suit, a co-owner of the clinic regularly subjected female employees – who ranged from receptionists to a veterinarian – to harassing conduct since at least 2005. On a near-daily basis, the co-owner insulted female staff by making unwelcome sexual remarks, as well as disparaging and hostile comments about women. In its lawsuit, the EEOC charged that the clinic failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent and correct the unlawful harassing behavior. The EEOC also contended that the offending co-owner fired at least three of the women and forced others to quit. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC originally f...