Stokes Lawrence Wins Unanimous Jury Verdict Against EEOC for Evans Fruit

Apr 04, 2013   Print PDF

Related Practice: Agriculture

On April 3, 2013, after a two and a half week trial, a jury rejected all sexual harassment claims filed against Evans Fruit, one of the country’s largest apple growers. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Evans Fruit in 2010, claiming that a ranch foreman and several subordinates had sexually harassed female employees. By the end of 2011, and after a coordinated outreach effort by the EEOC, 26 women alleged that they had been harassed at Evans Fruit. The judge dismissed 11 of the claims prior to trial, and one claimant was dismissed when she failed to appear at trial. A nine-member jury unanimously found in favor of Evans Fruit with respect to all remaining federal and state claims, finding none of the women had proved that she was subjected to a hostile work environment. Stokes Lawrence’s trial team of Brendan Monahan, Carolyn Cairns, Sarah Wixson and Justo Gonzalez argued the case for Evans Fruit. Read More.