Auto care chain Monro, Inc., which owns and operates over 1,000 auto care locations in the U.S. and operates under several brand names like Car-X Truck and Auto Parts, will pay $200,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) on behalf of several employees.
In the lawsuit, the EEOC alleged that multiple male employees in Illinois and Iowa were subjected to sexual harassment, including being groped and subjected to graphic sexual language. In addition to harassment against males, the EEOC also alleged that a supervisor addressed a female automotive technician as “woman” or a derogatory term instead of her name throughout her employment and gave her demeaning work assignments like cleaning or running the supervisor’s personal errands, rather than her expected duties, because she was female.
The EEOC sued Monro for harassment based on sex. To resolve the lawsuit, Monro agreed to pay $200,000 to four former employees; provide specialized training on sexual harassment to all employees at the stores where the alleged conduct occurred as well as to all managers and Human Resources personnel who oversee those employees; post a notice about the lawsuit; and report to the EEOC any further complaints of sexual harassment for the next two years.
What this means to you:
Harassment of any kind has no place in the workplace, regardless of to whom it is toward, how the work environment has “always been,” or stereotypes about the work environment.
Supervisors, managers, and Human Resources personnel need to know their responsibilities when it comes to maintaining a work environment free from harassment. To learn about our Managing Within the Law program or to book a workshop, please call 800-458-2778 or email us.
Updated 04-10-2023
Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.
