Federal Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Harassment and Retaliation at Texas and Louisiana Healthcare Facilities

Paramount Healthcare Consultants, LLC, which operates facilities across Texas and Louisiana, and MPD Operators Nazareth Hall, LLC, doing business as Nazareth Living Care Center in El Paso, Texas, violated federal law when they allowed an administrator to sexually harass a house­keeping aide, and then retaliated against her and another employee for complaining, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit.

According to the EEOC’s suit, an administrator at Nazareth Living Care Center sexually harassed a housekeeping aide by subjecting her to unwelcome sexual comments and forcible kissing. When her male supervisor elevated the sexual harassment complaint, the human resources director at the facility was dismissive and suggested that the aide may have enticed the administrator to harass her.

The EEOC further alleges that no credible investigation was conducted into the complaint, and the administrator whose misconduct was reported was never disciplined. The aide was subjected to taunting and criticism by onsite management at the facility after her complaint. The supervisor who sought intervention from upper management to assist the aide was later given a written disciplinary warning for “gossiping.” Ultimately, both were constructively discharged, the EEOC said.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, and retaliation for complaining about it. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 3:23-cv-00359 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, El Paso Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. In this case, the EEOC seeks back pay, reinstatement or front pay, compensatory and punitive damages and injunctive relief for the housekeeping supervisor and housekeeping aide, including an order barring the defendants from engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Texas Louisiana