Atherton, CATwo separate workplace harassment stories provide a window into a hostile work environment where people often turn a blind eye to sexual harassment.
A former police officer in the town of Atherton, California has sued both the town and the public works supervisor over an issue involving sexual harassment in the workplace. Pilar Ortiz-Buckley claimed that the public works supervisor and long-time employee of the town, Troy Henderson, made unwanted sexual advances towards her.
According to the December 17 edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, Henderson isolated Ortiz-Buckley in the staff room at police headquarters in June of last year. After pushing his face up to hers and touching her suggestively on the arm, the large man physically lunged at Ortiz-Buckley, seriously injuring her spine and aggravating a previous work-related injury.
The 48-year-old officer could no longer work after the attack. According to the Chronicle, she was simply instructed by the town to retire.
She did so in April of this year, citing medical disability. However, Ortiz-Buckley also sued the town of Atherton, claiming that it tolerated sexual harassment and discrimination. According to court documents, three other women have made similar complaints against Henderson within the last 15 years. A 30-year employee, Henderson continues to work for the town.
Charges of assault and battery against Henderson were dismissed by a jury, but Ortiz-Buckley managed to secure a $230,000 settlement from the town.
"Male workers lived in fear" at Cheesecake Factory
In another case, six male employees of the Cheesecake Factory in the Chandler Mall, Arizona, won a settlement from their employer after settling a lawsuit alleging sexual assaults by other male kitchen workers.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) cited various incidents of touching, groping and sexually charged remarks along with repeated episodes of simulated rape. The EEOC complaint referenced the dragging of employees "kicking and screaming" into the facility refrigerator for alleged assaults, charging that managers were witness to this behavior but did nothing.
While the company denied the allegations, the EEOC remained steadfast in its belief that the men suffered sexually abusive behavior. An attorney for the EEOC said that "the evidence was clear, and everyone knew about it. Behind the lavish lavish décor that the company boasts on its website was a horribly dysfunctional workplace where male workers lived in fear."
The Cheesecake Factory agreed to pay a $345,000 settlement.
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