Rock-Tenn Agrees to Pay $160,000 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

Rock-Tenn Company has agreed to pay $160,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).  

In its suit, the EEOC alleged that Rock-Tenn failed to take action to prevent the sexual harassment of female employees by a male employee at its Conway facility in Arkansas. Despite that the company investigated the complaint, the EEOC charged that the harassment continued. The EEOC also alleged that that one of the women had been forced to resign due to the ongoing harassment. The EEOC filed suit charging that the company discriminated against employees on the basis of sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

In addition to monetary relief, the consent decree enjoins Rock-Tenn from further discriminating against employees on the basis of sex. It provides that Rock-Tenn will (1) provide sexual harassment training to its employees at the Conway facility; (2) post a notice regarding the company’s policies on Title VII; (3) submit reports to the EEOC for a two-year period describing any complaints of sexual harassment, the investigation conducted by Rock-Tenn in response to each complaint and how Rock-Tenn resolved the complaint; and (4) in the event of a complaint of sexual harassment, retrain all of the parties involved in the complaint on the requirements of Title VII with regard to sexual harassment.