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Press Release

DOLLAR GENERAL SUED BY EEOC FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

PRESS RELEASE
9-11-09

Women at N.C. Stores Subjected to Sexual Comments, Propositions and Touching by Male Supervisor, Federal Agency Charged

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Dolgencorp, LLC, doing business as Dollar General, violated federal law by subjecting a class of female employees to a sexually hostile work environment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today. The EEOC’s lawsuit further charged that one woman had to resign from her job because of the harassment.

According to the EEOC’s complaint, from at least February 2005 through at least May 2006, Amanda Tittle Strickland, Maria Kinley Strickland, Tina Baxley and other similarly situated female employees were subjected to sexual harassment by Dollar General. Amanda Strickland and Tina Baxley were employed at Dollar General Stores in Greensboro and Maria Strickland was employed at a Dollar General Store in Pleasant Garden, N.C. The EEOC alleges that the women were harassed by a male Dollar General store manager. The EEOC’s position in this case is that the sexual harassment included crude and offensive sexual comments, requests for sex and unwelcome touching of the women’s breasts and buttocks. The women complained about the sexual harassment to managers within the company, but, according to the EEOC, the harassment continued. Strickland had to quit her job to escape the harassment, the EEOC said.

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Dolgencorp, LLC, d/b/a Dollar General, Civ. No. 1:09cv00700) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement.

The EEOC seeks an injunction to stop Dollar General from engaging in any employment practice that discriminates on the basis of sex. The suit also seeks monetary damages for Amanda Tittle Strickland, Maria Kinley Strickland, Tina Baxley and other similarly situated female employees who were subjected to the sexual harassment.

Lynette A. Barnes, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District Office, said, “In this case, Dollar General had a policy prohibiting sexual harassment. However, the evidence obtained by the EEOC indicates that despite the policy, a member of Dollar General's management created the sexually hostile work environment for the female employees and other managers knew about it but took no action to stop it. Employers should be aware that even if they have policies in place to address discrimination and harassment, such policies are rendered ineffective when management officials participate in or ignore discriminatory conduct.”

Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General is a discount retailer with more than 8,400 stores in 35 states. It employs around 72,000 employees.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov.

This page was last modified on September 11, 2009.