Enforge, LLC to Pay $35,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Suit

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Enforge, LLC, a Michigan-based automotive parts company conducting business in North Carolina, will pay $35,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a female employee was subjected to unwelcome sexual comments and touching by multiple male co-workers at the company’s Albemarle, North Carolina plant between August and October 2020, and after she complained to shift supervisors and other managers, nothing was done and the harassment continued. The lawsuit alleged that after she reported a male co-worker for exposing himself to her, management instructed her not to return to work until management spoke with her. The company did not call her back to work and instead fired her.

Such alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from workplace discrimination and harassment and prohibits retaliation against persons who report discrimination or harassment. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Enforge, LLC, Civil Action No.: 1:22-cv-01115) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its voluntary conciliation process.

In addition to paying $35,000 in damages to the affected employee, the two-year decree enjoins Enforge from subjecting any employee to sexual harassment or retaliation for opposing harassment. Enforge will be required to revise its anti-harassment policies, post employee notices to inform workers on how to report harassment, and to submit regularly scheduled compliance reports to the EEOC.

“Employers must take prompt and effective action to address complaints of sexual harassment and ensure that employees are free to report such conduct without fear of retaliation,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District.

EEOC Trial Attorney Taittiona Miles said, “Employees should not have to worry about reporting allegations of discrimination at work or to a federal agency. The EEOC takes these allegations very seriously and will step in to protect employees’ rights.”

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’s Charlotte District is charged with enforcing federal employment anti-discrimination laws in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.