Federal Agency Charged Construction Company Allowed Sexual Harassment of Female Truck Driver and Retaliated Against Her After She Complained

RALEIGH, N.C. – Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc., a highway construction company incorporated in Delaware and doing business in Craven County, North Carolina, will pay $80,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment, hostile work environment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, for over a year, a female truck driver working at Balfour Beatty was subjected to harassment by several male coworkers. One coworker asked the victim to “talk dirty” to him, send pictures of her breasts and sit on his lap. He also sent her sexually explicit text messages. After the victim complained, the coworker’s conduct escalated. The victim was also subjected to a hostile work environment because she is female. The male coworkers called her sexually derogatory names on a regular basis, told her to “shut the f*** up you stupid b****”, and told her “This is a man’s world . . . if you can’t handle it then go work for Walmart.” After the victim complained, she was denied an opportunity for advancement she was expecting and transferred to an undesirable work location.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from workplace discrimination and harassment. The EEOC’s suit (Case No. 4:23-CV-00144-FL Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Balfour Beatty Infrastructure, Inc.) was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern Division of North Carolina, Eastern Division after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

In addition to paying $80,000 in damages to the affected employee, the two-year decree requires Balfour Beatty Infrastructure to implement a revised anti-discrimination and harassment policy, to train managers and employees on sexual harassment and retaliation, and to refrain from discriminating against employees because of their sex. Balfour Beatty Infrastructure also agreed to provide periodic reports to the EEOC.

“This case illustrates that employers need to take swift action on employee complaints of sexual harassment and hostile work environment before the conduct escalates. Failure to do so will result in employer liability under Title VII,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District Office.

For more information on sex-based discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination. For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Charlotte District Office has jurisdiction over North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.