Filed Date: Nov. 19, 2002
Closed Date: 2002
Clearinghouse coding complete
In this Title VII case filed in November 2002 in the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Charlotte District Office of the EEOC alleged that defendant, which owned a chain of retail beachwear stores, subjected four female summer sales associates, ages 16 to 18, to a sexually hostile working environment and discharged one of them because of her sex. According to the EEOC's summary of the litigation, the Store Manager and the Assistant Manager repeatedly made comments about the claimants' bodies, questioned them about their sexual activities, touched their legs and buttocks and propositioned them for sex. Two of the claimants quit their jobs after only four days of work due to the harassment and a third was discharged on her fourth day of work. The fourth claimant was employed for less than two months and quit after she was sexually assaulted by the Store Manager. By the time the lawsuit was filed, the store that was the subject of the complaints had closed, and the managers were no longer employed by the defendant.
The EEOC's complaint sought an injunction against further harassment by defendant or its employees, as well as policies promoting equal employment, reinstatement of the complainants, back pay, compensatory damages, and punitive damages. Concurrent with the complaint, the parties jointly submitted a proposed consent decree, which the Court signed 2 weeks later.
The decree provided for a total payment of $115,000 to the four female claimants ($40,000 to one of the claimants and $25,000 to each of the other three claimants). In addition, it provided for posting of a non-discrimination policy, training relating to sexual harassment, annual reporting to the EEOC about complaints, and other monitoring. Its term was 2 years.
Summary Authors
Kevin Wilemon (6/8/2007)
Last updated March 25, 2024, 3:01 a.m.
State / Territory: North Carolina
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
IWPR/Wage Project Consent Decree Study
Key Dates
Filing Date: Nov. 19, 2002
Closing Date: 2002
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on behalf of one or more workers.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
L & L Wings, Inc. (Calabash, North Carolina), Private Entity/Person
L & L Wings, Inc. (Calabash, North Carolina), Private Entity/Person
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Amount Defendant Pays: 115000
Order Duration: 2002 - 2004
Content of Injunction:
Expungement of Employment Record
Post/Distribute Notice of Rights / EE Law
Provide antidiscrimination training
Issues
Discrimination-area:
Discharge / Constructive Discharge / Layoff
Harassment / Hostile Work Environment
Discrimination-basis:
Affected Sex or Gender:
EEOC-centric: