According to the EEOC’s suit (Civil Action No. 2:10-CV-12197), which was filed on June 3 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Ann Arbor Nights subjected a female Spanish-speaking housekeeper at an Ann Arbor Days Inn to a sexually hostile work environment and retaliated against her for complaining about the harassment. The EEOC charged that the victim was sexually assaulted, including being subjected to an attempted rape by a supervisor, and retaliated against, such as being denied work, for failing to give in to the supervisor’s numerous sexual advances. The EEOC also said that the harasser used the fact that the victim spoke no English to his advantage in abusing her.

The EEOC sought monetary compensation in the form of compensatory and punitive damages, and an injunction enjoining Ann Arbor Nights from subjecting its employees to a sexually hostile work environment and retaliation.

Under the consent decree resolving the case, Ann Arbor Nights will pay the victim $50,000, which is the maximum amount allowed by statute for a small employer like Ann Arbor Nights. The company will also adopt and distribute anti-sexual harassment policies in both English and Spanish and conduct training in both English and Spanish to ensure that everyone in its work force, including its Spanish-speaking employees, knows how to recognize and report sexual harassment.