New York Paralegal Blog

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Metro Special Police & Security Services, Inc., a Charlotte-based provider of private security and public safety services, violated federal law by subjecting male employees to sexual harassment,

SEATTLE - Eastern Washington grower Roy Farms violated federal law by allowing a supervisor to sexually harass male laborers, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

Federal Court Issues ‘Extraordinary Remedy’ in Class Male-on-Male Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Suit Filed Against Albuquerque Car Dealership ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Pitre Inc., a car dealership in Albuquerque, N.M., was barred on January 26, 2012 by the U.S. District Court from threatening or retaliating against current and former employees who participate in the employment discrimination lawsuit filed against it by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC filed a motion for a preliminary injunction due to the immediate danger of “substantial and irreparable injury” to charging parties, class members, witnesses, and potential class members due to intimidation.

Restaurant to Pay $86,000 to Former Male Employees Who Were Subjected to Abuse by Male Co-Worker CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Huntersville Seafood, Inc., doing business as Captain’s Galley restaurant, will pay $86,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced late yesterday.

NEW ORLEANS – A federal jury has awarded a former employee of Boh Bros. Construction Co., L.L.C. $451,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. Following a two-and-a-half-day trial, the jury awarded Kerry Woods damages for the sexual harassment claim against the major construction firm, including $250,000 in punitive damages and $200,000 for emotional distress.

Upscale Chain Settles After Litigation Revealed Head Chef Fondled Male Employees PHOENIX —Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., will pay nearly a quarter million dollars and furnish other relief to settle a same-sex sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC’s suit (CV-07683-PHX-SMM), which was brought in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Phoenix, charged that male employees who worked at Fleming’s in Scottsdale, a fine dining steak house, were sexually abused by the head chef, Tod Rawson. The evidence gathered during the EEOC’s investigation revealed that, among other things, Rawson frequently pinched or squeezed his subordinates’ private parts, flicked their genitals with his bare hands, and groped them from behind. Rawson even used kitchen utensils from the restaurant to touch his victims’ genitals through their clothing, the EEOC said. Evid...

Male Employee at Huntersville Restaurant Subjected Male Co-Workers to Sexual Touching and Obscene Displays, Federal Agency Charges UPDATE: Restaurant to Pay $86,000 to Former Male Employees Who Were Subjected to Abuse by Male Co-Worker CHARLOTTE , N.C. – Huntersville Seafood, Inc. doing business as Captain’s Galley restaurant, violated federal law by subjecting male employees to a sexually hostile work environment and by firing one of its male employees for complaining, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. Captain’s Galley is located off Interstate 77 in Huntersville, N.C. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2007 and 2008 Peter Economos was subjected to sexual harassment by a male co-worker. The EEOC contends that on a daily or almost daily basis, the co-worker would touch, poke, or slap Economos on the buttocks, and occasionally would grab his private parts. The co-worker’s conduct also included explicit, obscene sexual gestur...

Upscale Chain Settles After Litigation Revealed Head Chef Fondled Male Employees PHOENIX —Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar, at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., will pay nearly a quarter million dollars and furnish other relief to settle a same-sex sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC’s suit (CV-07683-PHX-SMM), which was brought in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona in Phoenix, charged that male employees who worked at Fleming’s in Scottsdale, a fine dining steak house, were sexually abused by the head chef, Tod Rawson. The evidence gathered during the EEOC’s investigation revealed that, among other things, Rawson frequently pinched or squeezed his subordinates’ private parts, flicked their genitals with his bare hands, and groped them from behind. Rawson even used kitchen utensils from the restaurant to touch his victims’ genitals through their clothing, the EEOC said. Evid...

According to the EEOC the filing of male sexual harassment charges has steadily multiplied over the past ten years from 12% to 16%. In 2009 the complaints filed by men totaled over 2,000, out of around 12,700 sexual harassment cases. Workplace sexual predators do not discriminate against men. I would not leave any sexual harasser alone with children. In its lawsuit (EEOC v. Cheesecake Factory, Inc., CV 08-1207-PHX-NVW) , the EEOC charged that Cheesecake knew about and tolerated repeated sexual assaults against six male employees by a group of male kitchen staffers. The company denied the allegations. However, according to the agency, the evidence overwhelmingly showed that the men suffered sexually abusive behavior, including abusers directly touching victims’ genitals, making sexually charged remarks, grinding their genitals against them, and forcing victims into repeated episodes of simulated rape. Managers witnessed employees dragging their victims kicking and screaming into the ...

Male Employees Were Groped and Degraded by Management and Co-Workers at Upscale Eatery, Federal Agency Charges NEW YORK – Sparks Steak House, an upscale restaurant in New York City, violated federal law by creating a hostile work environment for male employees, including physical and verbal sexual harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today. According to the EEOC’s suit, male managers and workers at Sparks subjected male employees to ongoing abuse. The misconduct allegedly included groping their buttocks, attempting to touch their genitals and rubbing their bodies into the employees while at work. The managers and co-workers also made numerous crude, obscene comments.

Male Employees, Particularly Black Men, Were Consistently Abused and Degraded by Owners of Fish Market, Federal Agency Charges NEW YORK – M. Slavin & Sons, a retail and wholesale fish market, violated federal law by creating a hostile work environment for male employees, including physical and verbal sexual harassment and offensive and degrading comments based on race and national origin, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today. According to the EEOC’s suit, some of the owners and managers of M. Slavin & Sons subjected male employees, particularly black employees, including both black Americans and at least one immigrant from Africa, to ongoing harassment. The misconduct included groping their buttocks, putting fish hooks into their buttocks and unnecessarily rubbing their bodies into the employees when passing them by. The owners and managers also made numerous crude, obscene sexual and/or racist comments. One owner used ...

Restaurant Chain Will Pay $345,000 to Six Male Employees Who Agency Alleged Were Repeatedly Sexually Assaulted PHOENIX – Cheesecake Factory, Inc., a nationwide restaurant chain that touts itself as a place to create “lasting memories with family and friends,” will pay $345,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that six male employees were subjected to repeated sexual harassment at the company’s Chandler Mall location. In its lawsuit (EEOC v. Cheesecake Factory, Inc., CV 08-1207-PHX-NVW), the EEOC charged that Cheesecake knew about and tolerated repeated sexual assaults against six male employees by a group of male kitchen staffers. The company denied the allegations. However, according to the agency, the evidence overwhelmingly showed that the men suffered sexually abusive behavior, including abusers directly touching victims’ genitals, making...

EEOC Settles Suit Charging Male Supervisor Sexually Harassed Male Subordinates MIAMI -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that national retail giant Dillard’s, Inc. will pay $110,000 and provide significant remedial relief to settle a same-sex harassment lawsuit involving two male victims. According to the EEOC’s suit, under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Dillard’s permitted a sexually hostile work environment for men at its Fashion Square Mall store in Orlando, Fla. The EEOC charged that a male supervisor engaged in verbal and physical sexual harassment of a male sales associate and a young dockworker when the supervisor exposed himself, propositioned the men, and made sexually explicit and derogatory comments. The EEOC said that Dillard’s ignored complaints about the harasser.

EEOC Settles Suit for Young Men Who Were Sexually Abused SEATTLE - Hotel giant WorldMark by Wyndham will pay $370,000 and furnish significant remedial relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC had charged that the company failed to stop the manager of its Birch Bay Resort in Blaine, Wash., from sexually harassing young male employees. According to the EEOC’s investigation, the resort manager, male and in his 40s, repeatedly subjected young male employees between the ages of 17 and 25 to unwelcome touching of a sexual nature, comments about their physical appearance, and sexually charged situations.

EEOC Obtains Favorable Jury Verdict in Lawsuit Against Faulkner Company OXFORD, Miss. -- A federal jury here returned a $225,000 verdict Friday against Hill Brothers Construction Company and Engineering Company, Inc. (Hill Brothers) in a rare same-sex harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of male employees who were sexually harassed by other men. The EEOC charged in its lawsuit that Hill Brothers discriminated against Scott Beasley, Joel Graves and Douglas Smith in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by subjecting them to a sexually hostile work environment. After a week-long trial, the jury awarded $75,000 each to Beasley, Graves and Smith as punitive damages in the case, which was presided over by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills. Beasley was also represented by private counsel.

EEOC Settles Suit Charging Male Former Regional Vice President With Victimizing Male Former Senior Accounts Executive MIAMI – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that United HealthCare of Florida, Inc. will pay $1.8 million to settle a same-sex harassment and retaliation lawsuit charging that the male former regional vice president of key accounts subjected a male former top senior account executive to repeated verbal sexual harassment in Sunrise, Fla. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division (Case No. 06-61483-CIV-MOORE/GARBER), after the high ranking senior account executive complained several times to upper management, United HealthCare retaliated against him by subjecting him to discipline and denying him stock options and commissions. The account executive even complained to the former and current chief executive officers of the employer’s parent company (United HealthGroup, ...

PHOENIX -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced at a press conference that it has filed two employment discrimination lawsuits on behalf of teen workers against franchises of McDonald's restaurant in Arizona and New Mexico. The first suit was filed against Pand Enterprises, Inc. for same-sex harassment and retaliation against a class of young men employed at McDonald's in Albuquerque, N.M. The second suit was filed against GLC, Inc., an Arizona corporation, for sexual harassment against a class of young women at its McDonald's restaurant in Cordes Junction, Ariz. "Employers must recognize their responsibility to assure that young workers one of the most vulnerable segments of the labor force are not harassed by supervisors or co-workers," said Chester Bailey, EEOC's Director of the Phoenix District Office, which has jurisdiction for Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. "These cases involve a clear failure of employers to abid...

NEWARK, N.J. - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the resolution of its employment discrimination lawsuit against Babies "R" Us, Inc., a division of the toy store giant, Toys "R" Us of Paramus, N.J. The lawsuit charged the company with subjecting Andres Vasquez of Paterson, N.J., to a sexually hostile work environment because of his sex, male, in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. A Consent Decree settling the litigation [Case No. 02-CV-989(WGB)], which provides for $205,000 for Mr. Vasquez and comprehensive training of the company's workforce in New Jersey, was entered earlier this week with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey before Judge William G. Bassler. The initial suit, filed on March 6, 2002, alleged that throughout his employment Mr. Vasquez was the target of unwelcome and derogatory comments as well as behavior that mocked him because he did not conform to societal stereotypes o...

Male Employees Subjected to Groping and Lewd Sex-Based Remarks by Male Managers DALLAS - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced that Ron Clark Ford, Inc. has agreed to pay six former male employees $140,000 to settle a same-sex harassment lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In addition to the monetary relief for former employees William Blount, Joe Charles, John Crawford, Dusty Harrison, Ulices Herrera and Richard Epps, the Consent Decree settling the case, signed by Federal District Court Judge Sam Cummings, requires Ron Clark Ford to provide training to prevent sexual harassment and post an anti-discrimination notice at the Amarillo, Texas-based dealership. The EEOC's lawsuit (Civil Action No. 2-01CV-0245-C) was based on charges of discrimination filed by three of the men with the the federal Agency's Dallas District Office. The men said they and others were subjected to a sexually hostile work environment and differen...

Suit Says Male Workers Were Groped, Propositioned, and Sexually Assaulted by Male Supervisor BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today filed suit against global food giant Kraft Foods North America, Inc. and its subsidiary Nabisco, Inc. under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on behalf of a class of male employees who were subjected to egregious same-sex harassment and retaliation by their male supervisor at a sales and distribution facility in Birmingham, Alabama. Kraft Foods, which recently acquired Nabisco in a merger, is based in Northfield, Illinois, and employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide. The suit, EEOC v. Kraft Foods North America, Inc., filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, Southern Division, charges Kraft with creating a sexually hostile work environment for male employees and retaliating against them for complaining about the harassment. In particular, the suit alleges tha...