Justice Department Sues Spartanburg County, South Carolina,

WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice today filed a lawsuit against Spartanburg County, S.C., alleging that the county discriminated against a county employee because of her sex, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The government’s complaint alleges that the county discriminated against the employee while she was employed by the county’s Department of Roads and Bridges as a senior sign technician by subjecting her to sexual harassment that created a hostile work environment, and by failing to take appropriate action to remedy the discrimination. The employee is no longer employed by the county.

“Public employers who fail to promptly and effectively investigate allegations of sex discrimination violate federal law,” said Wan J. Kim, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights. “The Department of Justice will vigorously pursue such violations.”

“Title VII mandates that employers not discriminate on the basis of sex. Public employers should ensure that all employees are protected from discrimination,” said Reginald I. Lloyd, U.S. Attorney for South Carolina.

The matter was referred to the Department of Justice by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which initially investigated the charge, found reasonable cause to believe that the employee’s allegations of sexual harassment were true, and was unable to achieve a voluntary resolution. In its complaint, the government now seeks, among other things, compensation to the employee for the county’s discriminatory conduct as well as the implementation of county policies to address and prevent sexual harassment.

The continued enforcement of Title VII has been a priority of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department is available on its Web site at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt.