Evans Fruit Wins Summary Judgment Dismissing Retaliation Claims Brought by the EEOC
Related Practices: Agriculture and Employment
On April 19, 2013, Stokes Lawrence attorneys successfully achieved summary judgment on behalf of Evans Fruit, one of the country’s largest apple growers, against claims that the company had retaliated against 10 former employees who were assisting in an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) investigation. Just two weeks prior to the court’s summary judgment ruling, a nine-member jury unanimously rejected the EEOC’s allegations that a ranch foreman and several ranch hands employed by Evans Fruit had sexually harassed 14 female employees. The Northwest Justice Project separately represented all 10 of the retaliation claimants under federal and state statutory and common law claims. Judge Lonny R. Suko of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington concluded that summary judgment in favor of Evans Fruit was required because the EEOC and Northwest Justice Project had failed to offer admissible evidence that any of the 10 claimants had been the subject of any threat or materially adverse action by anyone associated with the company. Brendan Monahan, Carolyn Cairns, Sarah Wixson and Justo Gonzalez represented Evans Fruit. Read More.