WOMEN! WHY DON’T THEY KNOW THEIR PLACE?

For those of you with an archeological interest, return with me to observe a Stone Age man at the Dep’t. of Agriculture.   Lia, an employee of that Neanderthal, filed an EEO complaint charging management with sex discrimination and harassment.  She alleged that her supervisor commented on numerous occasions about her appearance, that her job as a female was to do dishes, that she needed to stay home to start a family, that she needed her fiancé’s permission to attend school, and that her fiancé is likely to cheat on her with a cheerleader. Further, Lia alleged that her supervisor pressured her into picking up his lunch, provided opportunities for advancement to her male co-workers, and subjected her to other unwelcome conduct.

The witnesses confirm that Lia spent sleepless nights crying from the depression and anxiety as a result of the Agency’s conduct. A witness stated that her “mood, confidence, and demeanor were all negatively affected” by her experience. Based on the evidence of record, the Agency determined that Lia suffered significant feelings of isolation and withdrawal, severe depression, anxiety, distress, trauma, sleeplessness, hair loss, difficulty trusting others and forming relationships as a result of the Agency’s discriminatory harassment. The Agency determined that an award of $100,000.00 in non-pecuniary damages was appropriate based on the nature, severity, and duration of the harm.

In its defense, the Agency determined Lia had been subject to discrimination and harassment and awarded her $100,000 adjusted for inflation using the United States Bureau of Labor CPI Inflation Calculator was appropriate. The EEOC noted that $100,000.00 in September 2005 has the same buying power as $154,823.44 in September 2023, when the Agency’s decision was issued. As a result the Agency was ordered to pay Lia–

• $199.84 in pecuniary compensatory damages; and
• $154,823.44 in non-pecuniary damages

For more details check out Lia M., v. Brook L. Rollins, Sec’y, Dep’t of Agriculture, Appeal No. 2024000613 (2024)