U.S. District Judge Linda Reade has ordered the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay CRST Van Expedited $4.7 million in legal costs for bringing what the judge called dozens of “unreasonable or groundless” claims of sexual harassment during a lawsuit that’s lasted six years.
The judgment, entered last week, is believed to be the largest-ever fee sanction against the EEOC, according to a Westport News report.
The case began with a 2005 complaint from a female driver who alleged that she was paired with a male co-driver who constantly made crude sexual remarks and advances.
After failing to reach a settlement with CRST in that case, the EEOC filed a class-action lawsuit in 2007 on behalf of 270 female drivers who the agency said were subjected to offensive comments, groped or even assaulted by male trainers and co-drivers during cross-country trips.
Reade eventually dismissed all the claims on a variety of legal grounds. She awarded CRST nearly $4.2 million in attorneys’ fees, $413,000 in out-of-pocket expenses and $92,000 in court costs, saying EEOC made “unreasonable or groundless claims” on behalf of women and had little proof to support its allegation that CRST had a practice of allowing harassment.
CRST has robust procedures in place to respond to sexual harassment allegations since it relies on pairs of drivers to travel as teams, which can include members of the opposite sex, CRST general counsel Eric Baker said, adding the company has spent more than $11 million fighting the lawsuits.
