Dive Brief:
- Academy Mortgage Corp. entered into a public conciliation agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to resolve sexual harassment and retaliation charges, the agency announced Tuesday.
- A former supervisor at the Albuquerque-based mortgage lender allegedly sexually harassed female workers, then retaliated against them after they complained or denied him, per EEOC. The supervisor also allegedly repeatedly texted inappropriate requests to a female worker and physically touched unwilling female employees, the agency said.
- Under the terms of a year-long agreement, Academy Mortgage agreed to provide a total of $75,000 in monetary relief to two women and to hold sexual harassment and discrimination training, according to a news release.
Dive Insight:
EEOC alleged that Academy Mortgage violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment-based discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, and retaliation.
The agency’s charge claimed that the company didn’t take appropriate action to address the supervisor’s behavior after a female worker complained. Instead, it allegedly retaliated against the victim by transferring her to another branch before firing her. The supervisor then sexually harassed another worker, EEOC said.
“We applaud Academy Mortgage for agreeing to an early resolution of this charge,” April Klug, director of EEOC’s Albuquerque office, said in the release. “This resolution helps give the affected workers closure and highlights the importance of sexual harassment training. Managers have an obligation to maintain workplaces free from harassment and to appropriately respond to harassment complaints.”
EEOC and Academy Mortgage participated in a pre-litigation conciliation process to resolve the charges, the agency said. The commission regularly files charges against companies alleged to have allowed sexual harassment to fester.
Last month, for instance, EEOC reached a $100,000-settlement with ’Murica LLC over allegations that the company allowed the owner of the Western-themed Starlite Station bar and dance hall in Greeley, Colorado, to create a sexually hostile environment for workers. The agency further alleged that ‘Murica LLC retaliated against workers who complained or spoke out against the owner’s conduct by firing or threatening to discipline them.