MEMPHIS — A Memphis gas station owner, operator has settled a lawsuit filed by the federal government that alleges the company subjected a cashier to sexual harassment and then fired her for complaining about the harassment.
According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Flash Market Inc., which operates convenience store gas stations as Citgo, Phillips, Conoco and Shell brands, subjected a female employee at one of its Tennessee locations to a hostile work environment. The EEOC alleges an area supervisor requested sex with the female cashier, made sexually explicit remarks and repeatedly touched her inappropriately. When the cashier reported the actions to her immediate supervisor, the supervisor said she could not take care of the matter because she was also being sexually harassed by the same area manager. The cashier was then fired by the area manager after she filed a complaint with the EEOC, according to the federal agency.
"This case is yet another example of the epidemic of sexual harassment, which continues to permeate workplaces across the country," said EEOC Memphis District Office regional attorney Faye William in a statement.
The settlement includes Flash Market paying $100,000 and requiring it to train employees and managers regarding Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act as well as doing "exit interviews" with employees leaving the company to determine any sexual discrimination, according to the EEOC.