Mobile County Sheriff agrees to pay $2M in harassment suit

The sheriff of Mobile County has agreed to pay a little over $2 million as part of a lawsuit settlement agreement over the pervasive sexual harassment of female corrections officers working at the Mobile County Metro Jail, the U.S. Justice Department announced today.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama, alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII protects employees from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

This agreement resolves the Justice Department’s allegations that female corrections officers at the jail were regularly subjected to severe and pervasive sexual harassment in the workplace by male inmates. Despite the employees’ numerous reports to supervisors objecting to the harassment, the sheriff’s office did not take the complaints seriously and did not take prompt, effective action to remedy the harassment.

“Employers must take appropriate action to protect their employees from sexual harassment in the workplace,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Just like any other workplace, jails must take steps necessary to ensure that female employees are not subject to a sexually hostile work environment in any form.”

If approved by the court, the settlement agreement would see the sheriff paying $2.02 million into a settlement fund that will be used to compensate employees who were subject to harassment.

You can read more about the settlement right here.