Lone Star Ambulance to Pay $90,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Case

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Lone Star Ambulance, a San Antonio critical care transportation company, has agreed to pay $90,000 in damages and furnish other relief in order to settle a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, two female employees were subjected to repeated sexual harassment by persons in executive management and supervisory positions for the company. The allegations included not only verbal sexual harassment but also physical acts such as unwanted sexual touching and forced submission to sex as a condition of employment. According to the EEOC, working conditions became so intolerable that one of the female employees felt she had no other option but to resign. Another female employee was fired shortly after she rejected sexual advances from a supervisor and complained about the sexual harassment, the EEOC charged.  

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace as well as retaliation against an employee for reporting and/or opposing harassment. The EEOC filed its lawsuit, Civil Action No. 5:21-cv-00797-JKP-ESC, in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.      

The five-year consent decree settling the suit, entered by U.S. District Judge Jason Pulliam on August 26, 2022, prohibits future sex-based discrimination and the creation or facilitation of a work environ­ment hostile to any employees on the basis of sex. In addition to the monetary relief, the decree requires Lone Star Ambulance to take steps to prevent and eliminate sexual harassment in its workplace, such as adopting a written policy against employment discrimination, hiring an independent outside monitor to investigate all complaints of sexual harassment and retaliation in the workplace, and annual training on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for all employees.

“We appreciate Lone Star Ambulance’s recognition of its responsibility to provide a harassment-free workplace, including its commitment to engage an independent investigator to handle complaints going forward,” said EEOC Trial Attorney Esha Rajendran. “The EEOC is committed to vigorously enforcing anti-discrimination laws on behalf of all workers.”

EEOC Regional Attorney Robert Canino added, “The fresh and focused approach by the ambulance service to ensure a healthier overall environment can be implemented to provide a safer place for all its staff. The commitments made today will hopefully serve the company well in the future by fostering a more positive experience for its employees as the company continues to serve the San Antonio area.”

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 San Antonio Field Office is part of the EEOC’s Dallas District Office, which is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement and the conduct of agency litiga­tion in Texas and parts of New Mexico.

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.