A local franchisee of Days Inn Hotel will pay $50,000 to settle a
sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the EEOC.
The EEOC filed its suit against Ann Arbor Nights.
According to the EEOC’s suit (Civil Action No. 2:10-CV-12197), which
was filed on June 3 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Michigan, Ann Arbor Nights subjected a female Spanish-speaking
housekeeper at an Ann Arbor Days Inn to a sexually hostile work
environment and retaliated against her for complaining about the
harassment. The EEOC charged that the victim was sexually assaulted,
including being subjected to an attempted rape by a supervisor, and
retaliated against, such as being denied work, for failing to give in to
the supervisor’s numerous sexual advances. The EEOC also said that the
harasser used the fact that the victim spoke no English to his advantage
in abusing her.
The EEOC sought monetary compensation in the form of compensatory and
punitive damages, and an injunction enjoining Ann Arbor Nights from
subjecting its employees to a sexually hostile work environment and
retaliation.
Under the consent decree resolving the case, Ann Arbor Nights will
pay the victim $50,000, which is the maximum amount allowed by statute
for a small employer like Ann Arbor Nights. The company will also adopt
and distribute anti-sexual harassment policies in both English and
Spanish and conduct training in both English and Spanish to ensure that
everyone in its work force, including its Spanish-speaking employees,
knows how to recognize and report sexual harassment.