Prosero Management and Prestigious Placement to Pay $215,000 in EEOC Harassment and Retaliation Suit

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Prestigious Placement, Inc., and Prosero, Inc., will pay $215,000 and furnish 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 lawsuit, a male lead employed by Prosero subjected female employees placed by Prestigious Placement to unwelcome sexual comments. When two of the female employees complained to supervisors, they were ignored. Later, Prosero terminated the employees for alleged performance issues, according to the EEOC.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from workplace discrimination, including sexual harassment, and prohibits retaliation against those who complain about discrimination. The EEOC sued in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee, Western Division, (EEOC v. Prestigious Placement, Inc., and Prosero, Inc., d/b/a Qobalt, d/b/a Spinnaker Management Group, LLC, Case No. 2:23-cv-02568) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

In addition paying $215,000 in damages to three former female employees, the two-year consent decree settling the suit requires the owners of Prestigious to revise and distribute its anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies, post a notice in the workplace informing employees of the settlement and provide specialized training to all supervisors, managers and employees. Furthermore, the companies have agreed to provide the EEOC with periodic reports regarding any future employee complaints of sexual harassment or retaliation including a description of each employee’s allegations and the companies’ response.

“The EEOC commends Prosero, Prestigious Placement and their attorneys for working with the agency to resolve this lawsuit to the satisfaction of all without protracted litigation,” said Faye Williams, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Memphis District Office.

Delner Franklin-Thomas, district director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, said, “Women have a right to a workplace without harassment. The EEOC welcomes the opportunity to work with employers who want to ensure their workers are free from a sexually hostile work environment.”

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 Memphis District Office has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee and 17 counties in Northern Mississippi.

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.