DHL Supply Chain (USA) to Pay $640,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Suit

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Exel Inc., doing business as DHL Supply Chain (USA), a leading supply chain logistics services provider headquartered in Westerville, Ohio, will pay $640,000 and provide other relief to resolve a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the lawsuit, around November 2021, a female DHL employee complained to three supervisors that she was being sexually harassed by an operations manager and requested not to be left alone with him. None of the supervisors reported her complaints, as required by DHL policy. Later, DHL fired her for alleged insubordination when she did not submit to the operations manager's demand to meet with him one-on-one. Other female employees confirmed that male coworkers, leads, and supervisors subjected them to sexual harassment. Many female associates complained, and DHL ignored their complaints, EEOC's lawsuit charged.

"The EEOC commends DHL's willingness and commitment toward resolving this lawsuit and implementing measures to ensure the safety of female workers," said Faye Williams, regional attorney for the EEOC's Memphis District Office.

This kind of alleged conduct by an employer violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and retaliation. The EEOC filed its suit (EEOC v. Exel Inc. dba DHL Supply Chain (USA), Case No. 2:25-cv-02055-TLP) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Delner Franklin-Thomas, director of the EEOC's Memphis District Office, said, "Sexual harassment remains a persistent problem in the workplace. We are pleased that DHL's measures will go a long way in preventing such misconduct."

In addition to monetary damages for a class of female employees, the two-year decree approved by Judge Tommy Parker enjoins DHL from subjecting employees to sexual harassment and from failing to investigate such complaints in the future. The decree also requires DHL to train its managers, supervisors and human resources personnel at the warehouse at 3300 Tchulatech Drive in Memphis on measures to prevent sexual harassment and retaliation, including reporting and investigation of complaints.

A representative from DHL's corporate management will attend the training and confirm that DHL does not tolerate any form of sexual harassment or retaliation. DHL will also implement a procedure for review of its surveillance systems for reported or suspected complaints of sexual harassment arising at the warehouse.

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

The EEOC's Memphis District Office has jurisdiction over Tennessee, Arkansas, and 17 counties in Northern Mississippi.

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 .