Workers Say Store Failed to Stop Groper

Portland Partner Richard Meneghello was quoted in the article "Workers Say Store Failed to Stop Groper" in the July 14 edition of The Oregonian. The newspaper reported on a case against a grocery chain alleging managers did not protect three female employees from an abusive customer. In a federal lawsuit the three women accused the store of ignoring their repeated complaints about a customer who groped and harassed them on a near-daily basis. Though federal law requires employers to shield workers from sexual harassment, they aren't always aware those protections extend to customers. Rich said employees may think they have to deal with harassment as part of that customer-service setting. He added that he routinely tells employees they have a responsibility to their co-workers to speak up. Conversely, he warns employers against punishing employees who do. "If there's anything that's ratcheted up in recent years, it's laws ensuring employees have a right to sue for retaliation."