A federal judge in Texas has denied SkyWest Airlines, Inc.’s bid for a new trial and upheld an order that SkyWest pay a former parts clerk $300,000 in damages, the the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced.
The EEOC filed a lawsuit in which a federal jury found SkyWest liable for subjecting her to a sexually hostile work environment. The court further ordered injunctive relief for a three-year period.
In November 2024, following a six-day trial, a federal jury awarded $2.17 million in damages against SkyWest for sexually harassing Sarah Budd, including $170,000 for past and future compensatory damages and $2 million in punitive damages. The court reduced the jury’s award to $300,000 based on the statutory caps under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which are applicable to compensatory and punitive damages.
According to the EEOC, Budd’s coworkers and at least one manager made constant offensive and humiliating sexual comments to Budd. These comments included requests for Budd to perform demeaning sex acts and frequent remarks about rape and rape victims. Budd, herself a survivor of sexual assault, experienced physical illness and mental anguish as a result of her work environment. Budd reported the sexual harassment on several occasions to company officials, but SkyWest failed to remedy the situation, the EEOC said.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII, which prohibits discrimination based on sex and retaliation for reporting a hostile work environment. The EEOC filed suit (Civil Action No. 3:22-cv-01807) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division.
In granting the EEOC’s motion for injunctive relief, the court enjoined SkyWest from subjecting any parts or maintenance department employee at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to a hostile work environment based on sex in the future. It also ordered SkyWest to create and distribute a protocol for investigating complaints of harassment; conduct annual training for employees at DFW and those who are responsible for employee relations at DFW; post a notice in the DFW parts and maintenance department explaining the protections of Title VII; and notify the EEOC of any complaint of sexual harassment in that department at DFW.
Additionally, the court denied SkyWest’s motion to set aside the jury’s verdict and for a new trial. In a separate order, the court awarded the EEOC $24,607 in costs.
Source: EEOC
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