In June 2001, the EEOC district office in Phoenix, Arizona brought this suit against Sterling Brothers Construction, Inc., a general construction firm, in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico. The complaint states that former female employee alleged that the defendant's president and controlling shareholder violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when he created and maintained a sexually hostile working environment. Specifically, the female stated that she was inappropriately physically touched and harassed. She claimed that she complained to no avail. A defense motion for summary judgment was granted in part and denied in part. The parties engaged in extensive discovery throughout the litigation. After a trial date was set, the parties settled and a consent decree was entered in January 2003.

In the consent decree, the parties agreed that the defendant would refrain from retaliating and discriminating on the basis of race, pay the aggrieved female $22,452, expunge her employment record, only provide neutral information to potential employers, implement and distribute a sexual harassment policy, provide a mechanism for complaints, provide EEO training, post an EEO notice, submit semiannual compliance reports, and allow the EEOC to inspect for compliance. No fees or costs were awarded. The terms of the agreement ran for two years.

Joel Pettit - 07/06/2007


compress summary