Konos Agrees to Pay $175,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Case

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Konos, Inc., a Michigan-based egg producer, will pay $175,000 and provide other relief to settle a sex discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today. The EEOC charged that Konos violated federal law by subjecting a female employee to a sexually hostile work environ­ment and retaliating against her because she complained.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a male supervisor repeatedly made sexual advances towards this subordinate employee and sexually assaulted her. The assaults led to a criminal prosecution and conviction of the supervisor. Despite the seriousness of the supervisor’s conduct and the employee’s complaints to the company, Konos failed to take appropriate action to end the harassment. Instead, after the employee complained, the company retaliated against her by sending her home, the EEOC said.

Such conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employers from discriminating against an individual because of sex and from retaliating against employees who object to discrimination. Sexual harassment is a form of sex discrimination prohibited by Title VII. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan (EEOC v. Konos, Inc., Civil Action No. 1:20-CV-00973) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. After the EEOC filed its lawsuit, the employee exercised her right to intervene in the agency’s lawsuit and filed claims under both Title VII and Michigan’s civil rights law.

In addition to the monetary relief, the three-year consent decree settling the suit provides for injunctive relief, training on sexual harassment, and compliance-related reporting to the EEOC.

“Konos should be commended for agreeing to compensate this employee and to take steps to ensure that employees are protected from a sexually hostile work environment in the future,” said Nedra Campbell, trial attorney for the EEOC.

According to its website, www.vbeggs.com, Konos, Inc. has been an egg producer for over 70 years. The company has hundreds of employees working in Western Michigan.

The EEOC’s Detroit Field Office is part of the Indianapolis District Office, which oversees Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and parts of Ohio.

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.  Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.