An Illinois collection agency will pay $25,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the EEOC, the federal agency announced.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, Malcolm S. Gerald & Associates, Inc. violated federal law by subjecting an employee to unwelcome and offensive comments made by supervisors and co-workers about his sexual orientation.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of sex, including sexual orientation. The EEOC filed its lawsuit on Sept. 19, 2017 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago (Civil Action No. 17 CV 6744) after attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

Under the consent decree settling the suit, entered by Judge Edmond Chang, Malcolm S. Gerald & Associates will pay the harassment victim $25,000. In addition, the decree enjoins the company from engaging in sexual harassment or retaliation in the future. Further, the decree requires the company to train its employees with respect to the requirements of Title VII and to report complaints of sexual harassment to the EEOC.