Federal Agency Said Class of Young Women, Including Teens, Subjected to Verbal and Physical Sexual Abuse by Grocery Store Manager SYRACUSE, N.Y. - In a victory for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), a jury in federal district court here has returned a $1,260,080 verdict in a significant sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the agency. The verdict settled the EEOC’s suit against Paul’s Big M grocery store in Oswego, N.Y., that had charged that a class of female employees, many of whom were teenagers still in high school at the time, was subjected to a sexually hostile work environment by the store’s general manager for more than 10 years. “The jury’s award sends a strong message to employers that they must maintain work environments free of sexual harassment and be vigilant in protecting young employees one of the most vulnerable segments of the labor force,” said Markus Penzel, an EEOC trial attorney on the case. “We applaud the courage of these young wom...