NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said Whirlpool Corp. has agreed to drop its appeal of a $1 million judgment for failing to stop racial and sexual harassment at a Middle Tennessee plant.
The commission had sued Whirlpool in 2006 on grounds the company did nothing to halt a white male worker from harassing a black female co-worker at a plant in La Vergne because of her race and sex. The commission said the man assaulted the woman, causing serious permanent injuries.
At trial, a federal judge in Nashville awarded the employee $1 million in 2009. Whirlpool appealed in 2011.
At the trial, the court heard evidence that the employee repeatedly reported offensive verbal conduct and gestures by the co-worker to Whirlpool management.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
