Making Sexually Explicit Comments is a No-No

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recently reached a $75,000 settlement with New England Shellfish to resolve a lawsuit that it had filed on behalf of three female ex-employees. The EEOC’s lawsuit claimed that a male employee had made inappropriate sexual comments to female employees on a near-daily basis, such as making comments about their genitalia, spreading rumors about their purported sexual activity, and spying on them when attempting to use portable toilets.  The lawsuit further alleges that the conduct did not stop even after the female employees' complaints.  The EEOC claims that the comments led some women to fear that the offending male employee would sexually assault them.  Sexual harassment is illegal pursuant to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  See EEOC v. Trans Ocean Seafoods, Inc., No. 2:15-CV-01563 (W.D. Wash.).