Sexual Harassment Suit Lost by AutoZone

Staff Writer, Jan 19, 2009

The EEOC charged in 2006, that an AutoZone store in Starke, Fla., forced women to have to listen to offensive sexual language over a period of time. These women were employees for the company and the AutoZone chain actually fired one woman after she complained about being subjected to this type of abuse.

The EEOC's lawsuit claimed that when a new manager was hired at the store, on his first day of work upon introducing himself that he did so in a crude and vulgar manner. The lawsuit also claimed that he used explicit sexual boasting and comments which never ceased from that day forward. The manager felt compelled to share details about his personal sex life and boasted about a customer that wanted him to have sex with his daughter as an even exchange on specific auto parts. He also made comments on the size of female employee’s breasts.

The AutoZone store also employed a female manager at the time as well as other female employees who all made complaints to the store manager but all efforts were in vain, the EEOC claimed. The female manager was finally allowed an interview by the HR department regarding the allegations but she was fired shortly after, according to the EEOC. They further imply that her being fired was done out of retaliation which is defined by the Human Rights Act, which states, “An employer may not fire, demote, harass or otherwise "retaliate" against an individual for filing a charge of discrimination, participating in a discrimination proceeding, or otherwise opposing discrimination.”

Auto parts retailer AutoZone which is based in Memphis as part of the national chain agreed to pay the sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Jacksonville in 2006 to the tune of $150,000. The settlement has set forth provisions that AutoZone will pay the sum and it is to be shared by two victims. The settlement further states that the company must distribute its policy addressing sex discrimination and retaliation, train employees on sex harassment and comply with other measures.