A Chrysler employee produced sufficient evidence of recklessness to justify a substantial award of punitive damages in a Title VII hostile environment case, the 7th Circuit has ruled in reinstating a $3.5 million jury verdict.

10-2705 Overly v. KeyBank National Association

Employment Hostile work environment

Employment Hostile work environment; injunctions Where an employer restaurant was guilty of sexual harassment, it is appropriate that injunctive relief be issued covering all restaurants owned by the employer. “Defendants argue that injunctive relief cannot extend to the other IHOPs owned by Salauddin Janmohammed and managed by Flipmeastack because they are separate entities and not parties to this case. However, ...

Employment Hostile work environment The use of the term, “monkeys,” as a metaphor to workplace problems does not create a hostile work environment. “As to the materials excerpted from THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER MEETS THE MONKEY, we will take as a given that plaintiffs found the material subjectively hostile. Their case founders on the objective component—that is, what a reasonable ...

Employment Hostile work environment Although a supervisor had one prior complaint of sexual harassment, the employer is not liable for failure to consider him potentially dangerous. “Sutherland argues that, because of Walmart’s notice of a prior complaint against Aguas, Walmart should be held to a higher standard than other employers who receive complaints of harassment. In other words, because Walmart ...