Hotel Manager Sexually Harassed Female Housekeeper for Months and Then Fired Her for Complaining About It, Federal Agency Charges

OXFORD, MS – Lodging Lane Hospitality, doing business as Home2 Suites and owned and operated by One by NP, violated federal civil rights laws when it allowed one of its managers to subject a female housekeeper at the hotel to ongoing sexual harassment and then fired her shortly after she complained about the harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, the manager made inappropriate comments to the housekeeper about her intimate body parts, requested sex from the housekeeper, and physically touched the housekeeper on an intimate body part while making comments about wanting to have sex with her. When the housekeeper complained to the general manager, he ignored her complaint and fired the housekeeper shortly after.

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on sex and protects workers from sexual harassment and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, Oxford Division (EEOC v. One by NP d/b/a Home2 Suites and Lodging Lane Hospitality LLC, Case No. 3:21-cv-00210) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency seeks back pay and compensatory and punitive damages for the housekeeper. The suit also seeks injunctive relief to prevent future harassment.

“Employers who tolerate persistent sexual harassment and punish victims for exercising their right to oppose such behavior violate federal law,” said Edmond Sims, acting district director of the EEOC’s Memphis District Office, which has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee and portions of Mississippi.

According to its website, One by NP has become one of the fastest growing privately-owned hotel management companies in the Mid-South. Based in Southaven, Mississippi, a suburb of Memphis, the company specializes in acquiring, developing, and managing premium select service franchises.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.