Former Monsey company reaches EEOC complaint
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- December
- 15
A former Rockland County hardware and lighting distribution company will pay $325,0000 to settle allegations that female employees were subjected to sexual harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said today.
The EEOC’s 2003 lawsuit against American Tack and Hardware Inc. said the company was responsible for “repeated and egregious sexual harassment and retaliation.”
The company, and its parent company, Amertac Holdings Inc., moved from Monsey to Saddle River, N.J. in 2005.
The EEOC said the harassment included comments, jokes, touching and verbal and physical intimidation of women. Some employees who complained about the conduct were fired or disciplined, the EEOC said.
The lawsuit named the chief financial officer, Richard Frant, and the vice president for information technology, John DiStefano, as offenders.
The lawsuit said women were shown pornographic images on a computer. The lawsuit said Frant would describe his experiences with prostitutes and sex shops, tell sexual jokes and sexually taunt a pregnant employee.
Attempts to reach the company and its lawyers were unsuccessful.
Michael Koplen, a Nanuet lawyer, represented Elisa Taylor, who filed the original EEOC complaint with Shana Van Dunk. He said that when his clients went to the EEOC to get what’s called a “right to sue” letter, the EEOC was so shocked by the allegations that it wanted to get involved in the lawsuit.
Koplen later handed the case over to Manhattan-based lawyer Parisis G. Filippatos. A number of other women came forward, bringing the total number of plaintiffs into the teens, Filippatos said.
The settlement, approved by U.S. District Court Judge Stephen C. Robinson in White Plains, calls for the victims of the harassment to receive compensation for taking part in the suit. It also calls for the distribution of anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation policies.
The company and its employees will also receive training about discrimination law.
The company makes decorative wall plates, matching decorative hardware, lighting and lighting controls.
This entry was posted
on Monday, December 15th, 2008 at 5:26 pm by Allan Drury.
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