• 13
  • June
    2011

Employers in California are responsible for providing their employees with safe working conditions. That means taking steps to ensure they are not working in a hostile environment, and penalizing individuals who are accused of sexual harassment.

However, when employers fail to do that, it is important for their employees to hold them accountable. One woman, 20-year-old Ashley, was recently awarded $95 million in a sexual harassment lawsuit. The verdict is the largest ever awarded in the state, and it is one of the largest in the nation.

Sadly, by the time the woman contacted an attorney, the harassment had already lasted for more than an hour. Prior to that, she called a sexual abuse hotline, but no one returned her call. Later, she reported the abuse to higher-ups. Those complaints were also ignored.

Now, she is finally getting the attention she deserves, and her abuser is being held accountable.

The lawsuit against her general manager details a variety of lewd experiences. In the year before he was arrested, her manager gave her inappropriate nicknames. He pinched her bottom, groped her, performed sex acts in front of her and even slapped his genitals against her. The assault culminated when he threw her down and assaulted her.

The general manager was arrested shortly after that, and he is now facing criminal charges in addition to the sexual harassment lawsuit.

Even when the company knew about the assault, they failed to properly supervise the general manager. The disgusted and outraged jury awarded the woman $94 million in damages. Of that, $15 million was awarded in compensatory damages, and $80 million was awarded in punitive damages.

Because there is a state law that caps the amount individuals can receive, the company plans to appeal the award.

Source: KSDK, "$95 million awarded in sex harassment case," Sharon Stevens, 10 June 2011