PHOENIX (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court has reinstated EEOC’s lawsuit against GEO Group Inc. for alleged sexual harassment against female employees.
GEO, a multinational provider of government-outsources services specializing in correctional facilities, operates and manages two prison facilities in Florence, Arizona. According to EEOC’s allegations, Alice Hancock and a class of 20 female employees were sexually harassed at the two Arizona facilities. Harassment allegedly involved inappropriate physical contact as well as verbal abuse.
The trial court had dismissed the claim, but after an EEOC appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court decided to send the case back to trial court.
"The Ninth Circuit's decision was extremely gratifying," said EEOC general counsel David Lopez. "The decision allows EEOC to proceed with its claims that 20 female corrections officers experienced sexual harassment and retaliation while they worked at two prisons operated by The GEO Group. This ruling means that the victims, who were brave enough to step forward and participate in EEOC's lawsuit, will now have their day in court."