Fitch Irick Management to Pay $90,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Fitch Irick Management, LLC, formerly known as GEM Management, LLC, will pay $90,000 and furnish other relief to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sexual harassment lawsuit, the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, the North Carolina-based property management company knew its Stanford, Kentucky site manager reported being sexually harassed by a coworker but failed to address it. After the company directed the employee to continue working with her harasser, the harasser told her he knew she reported his harassment and threatened to shoot and torture her. This conduct created a hostile work environment and caused the employee to resign.

"If an employee reports sexual harassment by a coworker, a company must take prompt and effective action to stop and remedy the harassment," said Kenneth L. Bird, regional attorney for the EEOC's Indianapolis District. "We commend Fitch Irick for its cooperation and undertaking measures to ensure that sexual harassment complaints are adequately addressed in the future."

This alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination because of sex, including sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. GEM Management, LLC, Case No. 5:24-cv-00199-GFVT) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Lexington Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

The settlement by court-approved public consent decree provides for settlement funds of $90,000 to be paid to the employee, as well as management and employee training, policy revisions, and other targeted relief to be implemented by the defendant.

"The EEOC vigorously protects women in the workplace," saidAimee McFerren, assistant regional attorney in the EEOC's Louisville Area Office. "The EEOC is committed to ensuring that employers comply with federal law so that women are not denied equal employment opportunities because of sex."

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

The EEOC's Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, and parts of Ohio.

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 .