Wal-Mart Sued Twice by Federal Agency over Sexual Harassment
February 22, 2005
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently filed its second sexual harassment lawsuit in the past six months against Wal-Mart. The federal agency said Wal-Mart is not doing anything about the reported incidents at a
One female employee at Wal-Mart told EEOC officials an assistant manager touched her in inappropriate places, made lewd comments and sexual propositions since she began working in 2002. The EEOC said the store’s manager did nothing when told of the situation, though the assistant manager was later transferred for an unrelated reason.
In August, the federal agency sued Wal-Mart when two women workers told EEOC officials they were fondled and received unwanted sexual advances by their manager.
Wal-Mart released a statement saying its store policy prohibits harassment or discrimination of any kind. But EEOC’s regional attorney, Delner Franklin-Thomas, said that’s not enough.
“This lawsuit should remind employers that drafting a policy against unlawful harassment is not enough to comply with the federal anti-discrimination laws,” Franklin-Thomas said. “The anti-harassment policy must be communicated to the workforce, periodically updated, and enforced by managers and company officials.”
The EEOC is seeking compensation and punitive damages for the employees involved in both lawsuits, as well as a court order to prevent future discriminations.
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