On May 24, 2019, attorneys William Rieser and Jamie L. Ford from the law firm of The Gold Law Firm P.C. won a unanimous jury verdict in federal court on behalf of Brittany Ivins in a sexual harassment case against her former employer, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (“DOC”).
Ms. Ivins was employed by the DOC as a Corrections Officer Trainee at the Graterford Correctional Facility. Ms. Ivins alleged that during her employment at Graterford, she was subjected to sexual harassment by her coworkers. She also claimed that she complained to management on multiple occasions, but they failed to investigate or stop the harassment.
Ultimately, after registering multiple complaints of sexual harassment, the DOC terminated Ms. Ivins’ employment in September of 2016. All of the allegations set forth by the plaintiff can be attributed to Ms. Ivins’ Complaint and her trial testimony.
The case was heard in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania before the Honorable Joel H. Slomsky. (Court docket number is 2:17-cv-05777).The jury unanimously found that the DOC had subjected Ms. Ivins to a hostile work environment on the basis of her sex. The jury awarded Ms. Ivins $275,000 in compensatory damages for emotional distress.
Attorneys at the Philadelphia employment law firm of The Gold Law Firm P.C. strive to achieve justice and fairness in employment law matters such as discrimination, sexual harassment, and whistleblower issues as well as civil rights litigation. Sexual harassment is just one of the many forms of employment discrimination that the firm’s lawyers tackle. To schedule a free and confidential consultation, call 215-569-1999 or submit an online inquiry. The firm handles cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey from their offices in Philadelphia and Pennsauken, New Jersey.
