Sex Discrimination
Did carousing with drinking buddies create a $260,000 liability A private educational institution has settled a sexual-harassment case for $260,000. Female employees alleged that three male supervisors engaged in sexual comments, sexual texting, solicitation for sex, and sexual touching. In settling, the university denied any wrongdoing. A former human-resources manager provided information that the university knew or should have known of the harassment, but no effective action was taken. The HR manager stated that the supervisors at issue were social and drinking buddies with top management, and this relationship impaired the ability of the women to effectively complain or get attention to the situation. The EEOC stated that there was a breakdown in the process by those who should have taken action. EEOC v. High Tech Institutions, Inc., d/b/a Anthem College Online (D. Arizona, 2011).
