A female employee of Richmond Auto Parts Technology filed suit June 25 in Madison Circuit Court alleging that she was wrongfully fired after complaining about sexual harassment from her supervisor.
The Lexington-based manufacturer, which fabricates parts for Honda automobile transmissions, is named as a defendant, along with Stacy Peters, a RAP-T supervisor.
The suit by Deanna Cameron of Garrard County asks for a jury trial and unspecified compensatory damages from the employer and punitive as well as compensatory damages from the supervisor.
Cameron’s suit states she was employed by RAP-T from November 2005 until she was fired in September 2007.
The suit claims that Peters “continuously made unwelcome, abusive and threatening sexual remarks” to her, “unlawfully touched Cameron’s body in inappropriate places and exposed his genitalia” to her.
“On numerous occasions” and “in spite of strong protests by Cameron,” the suit alleges, Peters approached her from behind and while “in a sexually excited state, would press his body against” hers.
Also on numerous occasions, and in spite of her protest, the suit claims Peters used “an Anglo-Saxon vulgar word for intercourse” in asking her to engage in sexual relations.
The suit also claims that Peters asked Cameron to engage in oral sexual relations.
Peters’ actions, the suit alleges, caused the RAP-T factory to be “permeated with unlawful discriminatory behavior” that was “severe and pervasive” enough “to create a hostile workplace environment” that would interfere with a reasonable person’s “ability to perform their assigned work.”
The suit also claims, “Peters repeatedly talked about and/or attempted to engage in sexual relationships with other persons at the RAP-T factory, which was reported to (its) Human Resources Department.”
However, “management failed and refused to either promptly investigate complaints of sexual harassment and/or refused to take prompt corrective action,” the suit alleges.
“The unwelcome sexual harassment and misconduct by Peters was of such a chronic nature that Peters’ wife, who was also working at the RAP-T factory, also began harassing and threatening Cameron,” the suit states, because “she had heard rumors of Peters’ interest in Cameron.”
To remove herself from the alleged hostile workplace, the suit claims, Cameron would miss work and inform management of the reason for her absence. However, the company counted the absences as unexcused, the suit alleges.
Prior to her dismissal from RAP-T, the suit states that Cameron was interviewed by an investigator for the Kentucky Human Rights Commission in connection to another employee’s sexual harassment claim.
“One or more members of RAP-T management implied to Cameron that if she gave a statement unfavorable to RAP-T,” the suit alleges, she would be subject to retaliation, including loss of her job.
Supporting the other employee’s sexual harassment claim could even result in closure of the plant, causing economic hardship to many, Cameron’s suit states she was told.
In response to the alleged intimidation, the suit claims Cameron gave a false statement to the investigator. However, the suit state she later contacted the investigator and gave a truthful statement.
According to the suit, Cameron had never been employed by a factory, “and did not want to jeopardize her job or the jobs of other employees.”
In September, the suit states that family circumstances forced her to miss work. RAP-T then added these with earlier absences and allegedly used them as grounds to terminate Cameron’s employment.
According to the 2006 Madison County Industrial Guide, the RAP-T factory, off Duncannon Lane, employed nearly 300 workers.
Bill Robinson can be reached at brobinson@richmondregister.com or at 624-6622.
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Fired employee alleges sexual harassment at RAP-T
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