Three employees of the Oak Grove, Oregon Fred Meyer retail store have filed a sexual harassment suit against their employer. The women are seeking financial compensation and better harassment training.
The women allege that the store management ignored their complaints, and refused to ban a regular customer despite his continued harassment.
The accused, 84 year old Charles Janac would regularly plant himself by the employee time card and fondle their breasts and buttocks. Janac also made lewd comments and rubbed his body against theirs. His visits stopped, because the women contacted the police. Janac was convicted of third degree sexual assault because of the incident, he died this past April.
The Fred Meyer chain, which is a subsidiary of Kroger Inc. was already involved in two other sexual harassment lawsuits when the women were subjected to Janac’s abuse. The chain was already under scrutiny of the EEOC because of a 2008 sexual harassment lawsuit. Sexual harassment lawyers represent many women across the country as it is a common problem in the workplace.
Sexual harassment attorneys could confirm the fact that people aren’t subjected to sexual abuse exclusively by fellow employees. It isn’t uncommon for a person who works in the restaurant or retail industry to be the target of unwanted comments or touching from customers. These industries typically employee younger women, and their cordiality can be misconstrued by clients.
A sexual harassment lawyer will attest to the fact that no matter what the relationship the harasser has to the victim, customer or co-worker, it is still unlawful.
