EEOC Reaches Settlement for $1,525,000 on Behalf of Immigrant Workers in a Sexual Harassment Case

IMMIGRANTS & EMPLOYMENT

Immigrants' Employment Rights and Remedies

EEOC REACHES SETTLEMENT FOR $1,525,000 ON BEHALF OF IMMIGRANT WORKERS IN A SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE
Immigrants' Rights Update, Vol. 16, No. 7, November 22, 2002

In an egregious sexual harassment and retaliation case, in which a group of immigrant workers alleged that their supervisors even raped them, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a $1,525,000 settlement of an employment discrimination lawsuit brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The women—mainly from Latin America—worked at a DeCoster Farms' plant in Iowa. They were sexually assaulted and harassed, as well as threatened with retaliation if they complained.

The EEOC's settlement was approved by the U.S. District Court, through a consent decree that the parties negotiated. The settlement provides monetary relief for the affected employees, as well as a contribution to the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV), which assisted the workers in filing the charges in Aug. 2001. While DeCoster Farms did not admit liability, it agreed to conduct annual training for managers and employees and continue to enforce antiharassment and antiretaliation policies. In addition, the company has committed to working closely with the EEOC over the next three years to ensure compliance with the settlement. Finally, because some of the women were undocumented, the EEOC secured deferred status for them, ensuring that they would not be removed from the U.S. while they assisted governmental agencies with the prosecution of the case.

The EEOC press release on this settlement can be found at www.eeoc.gov/press/9-30-02-b.html.