Boss sent worker sexually explicit photos and fired her after she refused him, feds say

A former employee at a Louisiana company has accused her boss of repeatedly making sexual advances toward her, then firing her after she refused him, according to a federal lawsuit.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said X-Treme Tech Services LLC in Thibodaux, Louisiana, violated the woman’s civil rights, according to a lawsuit filed July 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

McClatchy News reached out to X-Treme Tech Services, but no one was available to comment July 25.

The administrative assistant started working for the marine electronics service company in May 2019, reporting directly to two supervisors, according to the lawsuit.

One of her bosses then “repeatedly and persistently subjected (the assistant) to sexual advances, including by sending her numerous sexually explicit text messages,” federal officials wrote.

He commented on her body, asking her if she had a “boob job,” and made sexually explicit comments at least once a week for months, officials said.

He’s also accused of slapping her buttocks and trying to kiss her.

Then in July 2019, he sent her a series of sexually explicit photos and a message that said “I’ll wait till you finish and (her other supervisor) leaves…my desk is perfect height if you sit on it, I could stay sitting on my chair…” officials said.

The woman said she told her boss to focus on his work and tried to shut down his advances, but she said he “reacted negatively” to her refusal.

That September, he took a leave of absence from the office, and the woman said the suggestive comments stopped, according to court documents.

But when he returned about seven months later, the assistant said he began “unfairly” criticizing her work. Federal officials said his criticisms were motivated by the woman’s refusal of his sexual advances.

Finally, on July 30, 2020, he fired her, officials said.

The company is accused of failing to protect the woman from discrimination and retaliation, and the agency is seeking damages on the woman’s behalf, as well as an end to any discriminatory practices.

Thibodaux is about a 60-mile drive southwest from New Orleans.

This story was originally published July 25, 2024 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Boss sent worker sexually explicit photos and fired her after she refused him, feds say."