Caesars Palace Settles Sexual Harassment Claims for $850K

In addition to the monetary award to the alleged victims, under the three-year consent decree Caesars Palace agreed to provide training to all employees in English or Spanish; to provide semi-annual reports to the EEOC regarding its employment practices for a period of three years; and to revise its employment policies and procedures to conform to its obligations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC said in a press release.

In its 2005 lawsuit against Desert Palace, Inc., doing business as Caesars Palace, the EEOC charged that male supervisors would demand and/or force predominantly monolingual Spanish speaking female workers to perform sex with them in makeshift sex rooms under threat of being fired. The suit alleged supervisors performed other lewd acts on or in front of women, including unwanted sexual touching.

In addition, the EEOC said in its suit management failed to address and correct the unlawful conduct, even though women complained about it. When workers complained about the unlawful conduct, they were retaliated against in the form of demotions, loss of wages, further harassment, discipline or discharge, the EEOC claimed.

“In a case like this where many of the workers were monolingual Spanish speakers, victims of sexual harassment often feel further isolated, marginalized and unable to vindicate their rights,” said Anna Park, Regional Attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District, in the news release. “This case also illustrates that employers need to ensure their policies and procedures provide adequate avenues for complaint and redress to non-English speakers.”