Company Prevails Twice in Hostile Work Environment Claim

Gentry Locke for the Defense.

United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia

Our client, a building industry manufacturer, has successfully persisted in its defense of hostile work environment/sexual harassment claims filed by a former employee. The case was originally dismissed on summary judgment in 2013. On appeal, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the retaliation claim, but remanded the hostile work environment claim for trial. Following a three-day jury trial in federal court in Roanoke on April 21, 2015, a jury vindicated the employer and dismissed the claim. No appeal has been taken, so after more than two years, the company’s good name has been cleared.