Jury Awards $2.3 Million in Sexual Harassment Suit

By Nathan Abbott

Published on December 05, 2006

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) succesfully sued Custom Companies of Northlake, Illinois, on behalf of three women who claimed they were exposed to a hostile and abusive work environment. Among the charges, the women claim that they were required to entertain clients at a strip club operated by Perry Mandera, CEO of Custom Companies. The women claim they were also subjected to pornography, groping, as well as lewd sexual language and propositions.

The jury awarded $2.05 million in punitive damages and $245,000 in compensatory damages, as well as $60,000 for one of the women for legal expenses accrued while defending a suit filed against her by Custom Companies.

Attorneys for the defendants called the lawsuit an example of employees trying use the law for personal gain and to mask poor work performance. The company denies the allegations, and plans to appeal the decision. The EEOC noted in a statement that the decision exceeds the per-claim limit set by the Civil Rights and as such the compensation may be reduced by the judge.

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