A Veterinary Service in Oregon to Pay Over $43,000 For Sexual Harassment Suit Filed by EEOC

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Hannah Pet Hospital (also known as Hannah the Pet Society) that operates in Tigard and Portland, Oregon were sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over sexual harassment chargers brought forward by a female employee.

The investigation showed that a male veterinarian started sexually harassing a pet nurse soon after she was hired.  His conduct included asking her inappropriate sexual questions, commenting on the size of certain body parts and addressing her and other female employees with gendered pejoratives such as “shut up, Woman” and “stupid woman”.

Despite complaints against the individual, the company did nothing to take corrective action and instead promoted the man twice, including to chief of staff.  The abuse and lack of action after filing complaints led the female employee to quit her job.

This behavior violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1064, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace.   After attempting to reach a prelitigation settlement through the conciliation process, the EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, Case No. 3:17-cv-01520-SI, EEOC v. Hannah’s, Inc., and Hannah’s Pet Hospitals of Oregon, Inc.

The result of the case includes $43,179 in damages for emotional distress and lost wages to be paid to the nurse.  In addition to the money, Hannah’s workplace policies must also undergo significant changes to policies and internal complaint procedures.  The company agreed to retain an expert to help draft and implement these changes and will be in charge of training employees as well as owners and upper management on harassment policies.   The company must also report to the EEOC their efforts to prevent future harassment issues.