DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE SETTLES SEXUAL HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS AGAINST THE TOWN OF WEST TERRE HAUTE, INDIANA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice today announced that it has entered into a consent decree with the town of West Terre Haute, Indiana ("town") that resolves allegations of sexual harassment made by a woman formerly employed as a dispatcher for the town’s police department.

Under the consent decree, which must be approved by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the town must pay $43,000 in compensatory damages to the woman who suffered the harassment, and the town must revise its written policies governing sexual harassment.

The United States alleged that the town had discriminated against the former employee by subjecting her to sexual harassment, in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the government alleged that the former head of the West Terre Haute Police Department created a hostile work environment by subjecting the former employee to demeaning and harassing conduct. This conduct allegedly included inappropriate touching and a series of crude and threatening sexual remarks. Due to this harassment, the former employee felt forced to leave her job.

“This is a strong resolution of a serious case of sexual harassment,” said R. Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division. “No American should be forced to suffer this type of offensive and threatening treatment in the workplace. The Department of Justice will not hesitate to enforce the law where we find evidence of unlawful sexual discrimination.”

The woman originally filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”), which investigated her charge and found reasonable cause to believe that a violation of federal civil rights laws had occurred. After unsuccessfully attempting to conciliate her charge, the EEOC referred it to the Justice Department.

Enforcement of federal employment discrimination laws is a priority of the Civil Rights Division. During 2003, the Civil Rights Division opened 71 employment discrimination investigations. Thus far this year, the Division has filed six lawsuits alleging employment discrimination in violation of federal law.

Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its website at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/. <http://www.usdoj.gov/crt.html.>

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