On March 28, 2000, a Jewish employee filed a lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against the L'Anse Area Schools in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. The employee, represented by private counsel, sought monetary and injunctive relief.
The ...
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On March 28, 2000, a Jewish employee filed a lawsuit under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against the L'Anse Area Schools in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan. The employee, represented by private counsel, sought monetary and injunctive relief.
The employee alleged that the school was a hostile work environment. Specifically, the employee alleged he was subjected to threats from students and faculty based on his religion and that there were messages saying "Die Jews," "White Power," and "KKK" left in and around his classroom. On several occasions, a hangman's noose was also placed on his classroom door. The employee eventually resigned because of this conduct.
The U.S. Department of Justice ("D.O.J.") intervened in the matter on behalf of the employee and requested that the defendant take measures to remedy the harassment problem and ensure that the same harassment does not occur in the future.
On November 14, 2001, the district court (Judge Gordon J. Quist) denied defendant's motion for summary judgment, holding that although it did not engage in the abusive behavior, its alleged responses were so inadequate and
demeaning that it indicated that defendants intended that the teacher quit.
On July 7, 2005, the district court (Judge Quist) accepted a settlement agreement from both parties. The agreement awarded the employee $265,000 in financial damages. Also, the school district agreed to train its employees to recognize and address issues of harassment. The agreement further provided for the D.O.J. to monitor the situation in the school district for three years.
We have no further information on this case.
Janani Iyengar - 11/12/2007
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