AGREES TO PAY $125K TO SETTLE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS
A nurse employed at Seattle Children’s Hospital alleged she was subjected to “unwelcome sexual comments,” and exposed to a “sexually charged atmosphere at work over a three-month period.”
Because the hospital failed to act in response to her complaints, the nurse was forced to resign.
Believing that such conduct was violative of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) pursued an investigation against the institution and, in response, a settlement was reached. In addition to paying the impacted individual $125,000 the hospital agreed to modify its employment-related policies and training practices.
In a written statement, Elizabeth M. Cannon, director of the EEOC’s Seattle Field Office noted that “Employers must protect workers from harassment and discrimination, even and especially when the persons doing the harassment are customers, patients, contractors, or other third parties …. Having an effective complaint process and managers that are well trained on how to recognize and respond to complaints helps employers stay in compliance with the law, and more importantly, helps protect employees from harassment and discrimination. We applaud Seattle Children’s Hospital for participating in the conciliation process and collaborating with EEOC to bring about this resolution.”
Was that child’s play?