EEOC Sues Cannabis Company for Sexual Harassment

ST. LOUIS - Cannabis company Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. violated federal law when it subjected female employees at the company's Collinsville, Illinois facility to unlawful sexual harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, at least as early as February 2021, the Collinsville facility manager and other male employees continually harassed female employees, including touching, sexual comments, sexual advances, requests for sexual relations, and comments about the appearances and bodies of female employees and customers. Numerous female employees complained to Ascend's human resources personnel about the sexual harassment, but the company failed to stop the conduct. At least one woman was forced to resign because the environment was intolerable, the EEOC said.

"When workers complain to managers or human resources personnel about sexual harassment, employers must act promptly with effective actions to stop the harassing conduct," said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC's St. Louis District Office.

Conduct as alleged in the EEOC's complaint violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits harassment because of an employee's sex. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc., Case No. 3:26-cv-378) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

David S. Davis, director of the EEOC's St. Louis District Office, said, "The alleged harassment in this case was particularly egregious because the facility manager himself engaged in the conduct and comments at issue, making it even more difficult for employees to complain and obtain relief."

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

The EEOC's St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over discrimination charges and agency litigation in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and a portion of southern Illinois.

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 .