Sexual harassment is an issue that doesn’t always get the respect that it deserves and is often the subject of jokes and anecdotes that can seem harmless on the surface but that most people find extremely offensive. There have been several landmark sexual harassment cases in the United States and a number of cases in Birmingham, Alabama. One such case involved a company that settled a class sexual harassment suit in September of 2013. In that case, the district manager of a prominent North Carolina-based company was charged with engaging in “sexually inappropriate and harassing conduct” with a number of female employees at a restaurant that the company owns in Alabama.
The harassment in this case went on for several years despite the complaints that were filed by many of the victims. The company was accused of having violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Sexual harassment is considered by many to be not only a detriment to the workplace but also a very serious violation of a federal law that needs to be more vigilantly enforced. Victims of sexual harassment have an advocate in the dedicated attorneys throughout the Alabama legal system who specialize in fighting for not only their rights but for their dignity.
The company in the above case settled with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Birmingham, Alabama office for $215,000. The company is also required to implement measures to prevent sexual harassment from taking place among its employees, a consent decree that will last for the next four years.
