O’Reilly Auto Parts to Pay $3M to Whistleblower

A district manager at O’Reilly Auto Parts was awarded $3 Million after he was terminated for twice reporting sexual harassment. The district manager witnessed a regional manager sexually harass the regional manager’s store manager at a company conference. The district manager reported the conduct to his supervisor but was told to not do anything. At the same conference a year later, the store manager told the district manager the conduct had not stopped and that her regional manager had groped another female employee in front of other managers. The district manager then reported the conduct to human resources, but was told he was a liability and was fired. 

What would a respectful workplace have done?

Respectful workplaces applaud and support employees who bring wrongful conduct to their attention.  They also take action once they receive a complaint of wrongful conduct, not ignore it and allow it to continue or worsen. How would your workplace handle a complaint of sexual harassment?

Illegal retaliation – getting even with a whistleblower or an employee who has complained about discrimination or harassment – is the hottest employment issue of the decade. Train your executives and managers so they can avoid retaliation claims through our Managing Within the Law course and Harassment Prevention Training—newly revised for 2023!  To book training for your company, please call us at 800-458-2778 or send us an email.