Gator Strong Services Resolves EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

WILMINGTON, N.C. - Gator Strong, LLC and Gator Strong NC, LLC, who operate Gator Strong Services in Wilmington, agreed to pay $25,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the suit, the former chief operating officer (COO) of Gator Strong subjected the office manager to a campaign of sexual harassment by repeatedly making sexual comments to her, humiliating her in front of her colleagues, hugging her without her consent, and describing intimate details about his sex life. After the office manager found a sex contract in a folder on her desk, the COO asked if she had gotten the folder. When she refused to discuss it with him, he fired her. The lawsuit also alleged that Gator Strong NC, LLC has successor liability for the unlawful conduct.

"The prohibition against sex-based harassment is an important protection under federal law," said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC's Charlotte District. "It applies equally to executives as it does to front line workers and supervisors. The EEOC appreciates Gator Strong NC, LLC's commitment to taking concrete measures to prevent this type of conduct from reoccurring in the workplace."

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from harassment based on their sex, including sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC et al v. Gator Strong, LLC et al, Case No. 7:25-cv-01267) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Under the two-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit, Gator Strong NC, LLC will revise, maintain and distribute policies and procedures pertaining to Title VII, provide antiharassment training to managers, supervisors and executives and training on an employer's responsibilities under Title VII, and periodically provide reports to the EEOC.

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

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

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .