Raspberry Farm Allowed Sex-Based Harassment, Federal Agency Charges
CAMARILLO, Calif. – Tres Hijas Berry Farm, LLC., an agricultural company that harvests and sells raspberries, violated federal law by allowing a class of employees, female and male, to be subjected to sex-based harassment and retaliation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since at least October 2018, Tres Hijas Berry Farm allowed a class of employees to be subjected to sex-based harassment by a supervisor. The harassment included repeated, frequent and offensive sex-based remarks and unwelcome physical touching. The EEOC’s suit further alleges that Tres Hijas Berry Farm failed to monitor the workplace, failed to properly investigate and respond to complaints, and discouraged additional complaints from being filed. Employees were forced to continue working with the supervisor who harassed them, even after they complained, the EEOC contends.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No.: 2:22-cv-01919) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC’s suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages for a class of employees, as well as injunctive relief intended to prevent and correct discrimination.
“The EEOC continues to see employers failing to properly investigate and correct harassment in the workplace,” said Anna Park, regional attorney with the Los Angeles district of the EEOC, which includes Camarillo in its jurisdiction.
Acting Los Angeles District Director Christine Park-Gonzalez added, “It is imperative that employers address complaints of harassment in a fair and timely manner. Chilling employees from reporting harassment creates a culture that allows harassment to flourish and negatively impacts all employees.”
Preventing systemic workplace harassment through strong enforcement is also one of the six national priorities identified by the Commission’s Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP).
For more information on harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/harassment. For more information on sexual harassment in particular, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
