Management Cannot Ignore Sexual Harassment Complaints

Piggly Wiggly recently agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a sexual harassment and discrimination lawsuit filed by the EEOC.  The EEOC’s lawsuit claimed that a male employee at the grocery store made inappropriate and lewd sexual comments and advances to two other female employees.  The victims of the sexual harassment made multiple reports of harassment to their manager, but the manager laughed at the complaints and did nothing to stop the sexual harassment.  The EEOC further claimed that Piggly Wiggly retaliated by cutting the hours of one of the victims and then later firing both victims.  Such alleged conduct is a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment and retaliation for complaints of sexual harassment.  See EEOC v. Rockdale Grocery, Inc., No. 1:18-cv-03778 (N.D. Ga.).