By On behalf of The Law Offices of Roderick V. Hannah, Esq., P.A.
A Florida bank has agreed to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle an employment grievance filed by female employees at a Tampa Bay area branch. The three women had filed lawsuits with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after they were reportedly subject to sexual harassment by a manager at the branch in Sarasota. The women settled the workplace harassment case for $300,000, according to official reports.
The lawsuit accused the branch manager of a variety of missteps, including staring at women’s breasts and engaging in unwanted touching. The manager also allegedly told one woman that she should wear a swimsuit to work, and he also physically intimidated at least one female worker. Even though the women submitted complaints to the assistant branch managers and other company officials — even involving human resources — the company failed to stop the harassment.
News reports show that the manager had apparently resigned from his position, only to be rehired by SunTrust shortly thereafter. It is not clear whether the man is still working at the SunTrust branch after this sexual harassment claim. He was accused of both verbal and physical sexual harassment in the workplace.
In many cases, sexual harassment goes far past simple, offensive sexual comments. Workers can be physically accosted, which prevents them from doing their job and can even cause serious emotional concerns. Victims of workplace harassment may be entitled to financial compensation for their negative experiences. In this case, the women were able to settle with the company before the case ever went to trial. In other words, the firm decided to pay the workers without having to go through the complicated — and sometimes expensive — civil trial process.
Source: Tampa Bay Times, “SunTrust bank agrees to pay $300,000 to settle sexual harassment lawsuit” Ivan Penn, Jun. 10, 2014
