Trinity Products, Inc., a manufacturer of billboards and
signposts based in O’Fallon, Mo., will pay $55,000 to settle a sexual
harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.
In its lawsuit, the EEOC had charged that a high-level manager
sexually harassed his assistant with offensive language and gestures
and requests for sexual favors. Then, the EEOC said, he sought to
replace her after she complained to other supervisors about his
conduct, resulting in her discharge.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits sexual
harassment and retaliation for reporting it. The EEOC filed suit after
first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement out of court through
its conciliation process.
The consent decree settling the suit, filed today for approval by U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri (EEOC, et al. v. Trinity Products, Inc.,
et al., Case No. 4:09CV01617 CAS), also requires the company to
distribute a notice on employees’ rights under federal
anti-discrimination laws, provide sexual harassment training to all
managers, and permit the EEOC to inspect records of internal complaints
of such harassment. The decree will remain in effect for two years.