Category: racial harassment

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Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Filed Against Ohio Landlord

Sexual abuse causes long term harm to victims.

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Joseph Pedaline, owner and manager of residential rental properties in Youngstown, Ohio, for sexually harassing female tenants in violation of the Fair Housing Act. Pedaline allegedly subjected tenants to repeated sexual comments, touched them without their consent, entered their homes without permission, offered to waive rent or perform repairs in exchange for sexual contact, and threatened to evict those who refused his advances. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages, a civil penalty, and a court order barring future discrimination. The Fair Housing Act prohibits housing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, and familial status.

Read more about the case on the DOJ website.

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Racial Discrimination and Harassment at Kansas Community College

Protecting students from harassment and other discrimination is a top priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

Settlement to Address Racial Discrimination and Harassment at Highland Community College

Summary

  • The Justice Department investigated allegations of discriminatory treatment against Black students at Highland Community College in Kansas.
  • The settlement requires the college to improve transparency and fairness in disciplinary proceedings and enhance policies and training on campus security to prevent discrimination.
  • HCC will also strengthen policies and procedures for addressing students’ complaints of racial discrimination.
  • The college will reform policies on discipline, campus security, housing, and racial harassment and revise procedures for responding to complaints of racial discrimination.
  • HCC will train campus security and other staff on effective de-escalation techniques and non-coercive methods of gathering information.
  • The college will survey and improve the climate and culture of their main campus, cultivate safe and welcoming spaces for Black students, and ensure equitable access to educational programs and activities regardless of race.

The Justice Department has reached a settlement agreement with Highland Community College (HCC) in Kansas following an investigation into allegations of racial harassment and discriminatory treatment against Black students. The complaints stated that Black students were subjected to searches, surveillance, and harsher disciplinary measures leading to their removal from campus housing or even expulsion.

As part of the settlement, the college will improve the transparency and fairness of their disciplinary proceedings to prevent such discrimination. They will also enhance their policies, procedures, and training on campus security to promote non-discriminatory interactions with students. Additionally, HCC will strengthen its policies and procedures for addressing students’ complaints of racial discrimination.

It is important to note that no student should have their educational experience hindered by discrimination based on their race. The Justice Department is committed to safeguarding the civil rights of college students across the country to pursue higher education in a safe, welcoming, and discrimination-free environment.

Under Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the department opened its investigation in January 2022. The college cooperated fully and expressed a desire to make positive changes for its students by revising policies and practices, training employees, and enhancing student engagement to improve campus climate.

Under the agreement, Highland Community College will reform policies on discipline, campus security, housing, and racial harassment. They will also revise their procedures for responding to students’ racial discrimination complaints and ensure that they are handled by trained employees. Additionally, they will train campus security and other staff on effective de-escalation techniques and non-coercive methods of gathering information. The college will also survey and improve the climate and culture of its main campus, cultivate safe and welcoming spaces for Black students, and ensure equitable access to educational programs and activities regardless of race.

It is crucial to be aware of the issues of discrimination in educational environments and the steps being taken to address them. For more information, visit the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/crt or the Educational Opportunities Section at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section/educational-opportunities-section.

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Edison Sued for Sexual and Racial Harassment

Edison sued for racial harassment and sexual harassment.

Jury Awarded $440 Million in Harassment Lawsuit Against Edison

A Los Angeles jury awarded $ 440 million in punitive damages to two men who alleged they were forced out of their jobs at Southern California Edison after complaining about repeated sexual and racial harassment at a South Bay office.

That decision came after jurors awarded $ 24.6 million in compensatory damages to plaintiffs Alfredo Martinez and Justin Page on Wednesday, bringing the total to more than $ 464.6 million.

These two men had the courage to stand up and report the harassment.

Martinez said he witnessed sexual and racial harassment and abuse during the 16 years he worked at Edison. His lawsuit states one such complaint: Two female workers approached him in March 2017 to complain of sexual harassment. They told Martinez because he was “just about the only supervisor” who could be trusted and had not participated in the harassment.

Martinez alleged that after 16 years at Edison, he had been pushed out of his supervisor job in April 2017 by constructive termination — a claim accusing the employer of creating or permitting intolerable working conditions in order to force out a worker — after reporting widespread sexual harassment and racist language.

SCE’s and Edison’s response was to pretend the problem was limited to a handful of bad actors, ignoring the culture of tolerance for harassment and discrimination that was bred in the South Bay office.

During the eight-week trial, lawyers for Martinez and Page presented evidence they said showed Edison’s South Bay office had a fraternity-like culture in which racial and sexual harassment was widespread, common, and sometimes ignored.

“These two men had the courage to stand up and report the harassment,” one attorney said. “SCE’s and Edison’s response was to pretend the problem was limited to a handful of bad actors, ignoring the culture of tolerance for harassment and discrimination that was bred in the South Bay office.”

Edison’s management did not take the harassment seriously.
The jury award was unusual in that the $ 440 million in punitive damages exceeded by $ 140 million, the amount that their attorney suggested to the jury. The jury awarded punitive damages of $ 400 million to Martinez — $ 100 million from Southern California Edison and $ 300 million from parent company Edison International. The jury awarded Page $ 40 million in punitive damages — $ 10 million from SCE and $ 30 million from Edison International.

The $ 22.37 million in compensatory damages for Martinez is believed to be among the largest in California history for a Fair Employment and Housing Act case.

Edison officials said they would seek a new trial to overturn the verdict.
“The jury’s decision is not consistent with the facts and the law and does not reflect who we are or what we stand for, and we intend to challenge it and seek a new trial,” an SCE spokeswoman said.

In a trial brief, Edison’s legal team argued that the two men had attempted to exploit the “plight of their former female coworkers to create liability where none exists. ” Edison acknowledged in court papers that Martinez and Page reported supervisors ” at the location where they worked were engaging in sexually inappropriate conduct toward female employees. ”

But Edison’s lawyers alleged that Martinez ” violated multiple SCE policies when he falsified the time records of an employee who reported to him. ” In the trial brief, they noted that Page, while reporting the harassment of female colleagues, did not say he was also a victim until later.

Martinez’s lawyers allege that within about 30 days of his reporting the harassment, six retaliatory complaints came in against him. They allege that Edison conducted a sham investigation and used the complaints to push him out of his job.

In court filings, Page alleged that he was threatened with retaliation after he anonymously reported the harassment. Page, who began working for Edison in 2015, transferred out of South Bay to a Fullerton office, but the threats followed him to that location, and he took a leave of absence from which he has yet to return, according to court filings.