Illegal to Fire Someone Because She Complained About Sexual Harassment

Lakeshore Sport and Fitness has agreed to pay $45,000 to settle a lawsuit that the EEOC brought alleging sexual harassment and retaliation.  The EEOC’s lawsuit claims that one of Lakeshore’s employees was sexually harassed by a co-worker at the fitness club’s restaurant.  The lawsuit further alleges that she complained about the sexual harassment, but the club ignored her complaints and then fired her for making these complaints.  The allegations of this first employee who complained of sexual harassment were supported by two other female employees who claimed that they too suffered sexual harassment from the same individual.  Such alleged conduct is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace and retaliation for complaints of such sexual harassment.  See EEOC v. LHC Operating LLC d/b/a Lakeshore Sport and Fitness, No. 1:17-cv-06803 (N.D. Ill.).