Company Loses Harassment Case Due to No Training 04-05-2006
- By Rita Risser, attorney at law

Here's a sexual harassment case that the company won - at first. A woman was hired as a welder in 2001. She was the only woman in a plant of 200 men. Every day she was verbally abused by many of her co-workers, often in front of her supervisors. She complained to her supervisor 3 times. The first time, he ignored it. The second time, he treated the complaint as a personality conflict, and reprimanded both the woman and her co-worker. After the third complaint, he fired her.

Although this might look like a slam-dunk case for the woman, she lost her case at trial and in the Court of Appeals. The courts held that the company took steps reasonably calculated to end the harassment, because they reprimanded the co-worker on the one occasion.

The Supreme Court of Iowa reversed the lower courts and the company lost the case. The Court held that the company did not take steps reasonably calculated to end harassment. The Court specifically noted that the company did not have sexual harassment prevention training. Boyle v. Alum Line, Inc (Iowa 03/10/2006)

What you should do: Don't wait like this company and start your training program after you get sued. There are many engaging ways to train - mix them up over the years. Live training, webinars and videos all have their place.

 

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.