Wash. fruit company sued over discrimination, retaliation

SELAH, Wash. (AP) — A fruit company in central Washington is accused in a federal lawsuit of discriminating against an employee based on her sex, and retaliating against her and her husband.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges in the lawsuit filed last month in U.S. District Court that a Monson Fruit production manager made unwanted advances and sexually harassed an employee between June and September 2019, The Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

Monson Fruit Co. is a family-owned fruit packer, grower and shipper based in Selah, Washington.

Monson officials declined to comment to the newspaper.

According to the lawsuit, the production manager made unwanted advances and sexual comments to the worker, and offered benefits and money in exchange for sex.

When the incidents were reported, the behavior didn’t change and the company failed to take action, according to the lawsuit. When the woman transferred to avoid the manager, he fired her husband, who also worked at the facility, the complaint said.

The production manager also failed to provide job modifications offered to other pregnant employees when the woman became pregnant, and she was forced to quit because Monson didn’t stop the harassment, according to the lawsuit.

“Sexual harassment and retaliation within the farmworker community is a pervasive problem,” EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Teri Healy said a statement. “The EEOC will vigorously prosecute employers who refuse to protect their employees.”

The lawsuit is seeking lost wages, monetary damages including compensation for emotional distress, punitive damages, and training on handling sexual harassment in the workplace.