EEOC files two sexual harassment lawsuits against Oklahoma employers

As sexual harassment charges rise nationally, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed two sexual harassment lawsuits against employers on Sept. 30 in Oklahoma district courts, the department announced in a news release.

Edmond-based design studio Sunrooms and More Design Center Inc. and international paper manufacturer Sofidel both face lawsuits by the commission filed Sept. 30 on complaints of sexual harassment of female employees in the workplace.

Don Durrett, the owner of the Edmond-based company said in a text message Friday, “We have not been made aware of any lawsuit against us with the EEOC so I have nothing to comment on at this time.”

Sofidel could not be reached for comment.

The commission, which received more than 7,700 sexual harassment charges in 2023, said there was a 25% increase last year from the year before.

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“That sort of uptick would lead us to believe that there’s an issue that needs to be addressed out there,” said Lauren W. Johnston, commission assistant regional attorney.

Data also showed sexual harassment charges against women employees received by the commission last year in Oklahoma totaled 77 last year, amounting to 1% of the national total. Texas, a border state, had the highest number of cases, which totaled 620 or 11.5% of the national total. Florida, Georgia, New York and Pennsylvania followed with the highest number of incidents.

With the exception of California, the commission’s data found most incidents took place in Southern and Eastern states between 2018 to 2021. It is unclear why.

“The EEOC is committed to promoting equal opportunity for all workers, and that includes removing barriers such as sexual harassment,” Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney of the commission’s St. Louis office, said in the news release. “Unfortunately, some employers fail to adequately protect their employees from harassment or retaliate against workers who report unwelcome sexual conduct. In some cases, business owners themselves engage in unlawful behavior. These cases demonstrate that work remains to be done.”

Northern District of Oklahoma

A man at Sunrooms and More Design Center Inc. subjected female employees to unwanted sexual comments and innuendos, going so far as “asking female employees if they were ready for their birthday spankings,” the suit filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma says.

Female employees said the man engaged in unwanted and inappropriate touching. Specific examples included grabbing an employee’s buttocks and waist, touching an employee’s legs on a work trip, and pulling down an employee’s thigh-high socks to her ankles, the suit says.

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The commission requested company policy changes and payment for punitive damages to multiple female employees.

“The EEOC’s goal is to get employers compliant with the federal employment laws with Title Vll and that includes sexual harassment,” Johnston said.

Western District of Oklahoma

At a paper mill and converting plant in Inola, sexual harassment escalation led to protective order after a 22-year-old product line operator experienced daily verbal attacks from an older male worker, a suit filed by the commission in the Western District of Oklahoma says .

Employed in October of 2022, the female worker said she endured harsh harassment from a fellow employee beginning early in her employment at the Sofidel facility.

Soon after he engaged in unwanted sexual comments in the workplace, she began receiving texts from an unknown number, later found to be from the male employee.

“His comments became more threatening, forceful, and intimidating, including explicit demands that she perform various sex acts,” the suit says.

Her first complaints to management began in early June when the male employee’s behavior became erratic. She feared for her safety, the suit says, which was evident in her desire when she sought help from management. By early July, she filed a protective order in the District Court of Tulsa County with a hearing scheduled on the 19th.

Sofidel terminated her employment July 11, the suit says.

The commission filed a lawsuit against the Italian-based paper producer last month, stating it failed to safeguard employees from continued harassment and retaliated against the 22-year-old product line operator when terminating her employment following complaints, the suit says.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Sunrooms and More Design, Sofidel face sexual harassment lawsuits