PATTON ARCHERY SUED BY EEOC FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT

PRESS RELEASE
9-23-09

Owner Repeatedly Sexually Abused Women Workers, Federal Agency Charges

MARQUETTE, Mich. – Patton Archery Manufacturing, Inc. violated federal law by subjecting several women to sexual harassment and fostering a sexually hostile work environment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today. Patton Archery, founded in 1992 by Dennis Patton and located in Vulcan, Mich., manufactures archery components, such as bows and wood grips.

The EEOC’s suit asserted that Patton Archery subjected three female bow sanders, Brenda Maynard, Julie Roberts and Leslie Querio, to a sexually hostile work environment.

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In its suit, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Northern Division (Case No. 2:09CV205), the EEOC is seeking to recover monetary compensation in the form of compensatory and punitive damages and an injunction enjoining Patton Archery from subjecting its employees to a sexually hostile work environment.

“The EEOC takes sexual harassment complaints against an owner very seriously,” explained EEOC attorney Nedra Campbell. “An owner of a company should set a positive example for appropriate workplace behavior.”

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

This page was last modified on September 23, 2009.