Woman Fired After Alleging Harassment, Court Takes her Side

A federal district court judge in Milwaukee entered a consent decree resolving an employment discrimination lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) against a major Wisconsin building products company, the agency announced recently.

 

 

The EEOC charged Sheboygan Falls, Wis.-based Richardson Industries, Inc., (doing business as Richco Structures), violated federal law when it fired employee Morgan Rae Brocker after supervisors allegedly reported to management that another Richco supervisor sexually harassed Brocker at the company’s Christmas party in 2005.(WCxKit)

 

 

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Richardson Industries, Inc., d/b/a Richco Structures, Civil Action No. 2:10-C-0505) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin on June 18, 2010, after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

 

 

The decree entered July 14, by U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert prohibits future discrimination and provides that Richco will pay Brocker $22,500 and train its managers and supervisors on employers’ obligations and the rights of employees under Title VII.

 

 

According to company information, Richardson Industries, Inc., is a privately held corporation with several different divisions devoted to furniture and woodworking. (WCxKit)

 

 

The company’s website states that Richco Structures, which is located in Sheboygan Falls, Haven and De Pere, Wis., and is part of the company’s Richardson Building Products division, “Is one of the Midwest’s largest manufacturers of custom fabricated wood roof trusses, floor trusses, and wall components, as well as a distributor of engineered wood products for the construction industry.”