Laughlin River Lodge to Pay $1.2 Million for ‘Severe and Pervasive’ Sexual Harassment

• EEOC sued Nevada Restaurant Services over severe harassment at Laughlin River Lodge
• Workers faced assault, threats, retaliation, and ignored complaints
• Settlement includes $1.2M payout and major workplace reforms

Nevada Restaurant Services (NRS), operator of Laughlin River Lodge Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, Nev., has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the federal US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The EEOC sued NRS in August 2023 on behalf of a class of women and men who, from 2018 onward, had experienced “ongoing, unwelcome, severe, and pervasive sexual harassment” by coworkers.

The lawsuit accused the defendant of “creating and maintaining an offensive, abusive, intimidating, and hostile work environment because of sex.”

Disturbing Conduct

“Male employees subjected female employees to unwanted physical sexual advances including, but not limited to, attempted rape of a 19-year-old female employee, groping female employees’ breasts, buttocks and vaginas, masturbating in front of female employees, stalking female employees outside the workplace, or trapping them in tight spaces such as walk-in refrigerators or locked hotel rooms to make unwanted sexual advances,” the complaint alleged.

The harassment was described as “ubiquitous, open, frequent, and consistent” – sometimes taking place in full view of supervisors. Management saw or heard the conduct regularly and still took no action, the EEOC claimed.

The day after making the complaint, she was told she was not cleaning thoroughly enough, and if it happened again, she would be fired, according to the lawsuit.

When another female housekeeper complained about being sexually harassed by the same employee, including being touched on the vagina and breasts, she was told ‘he means no harm,’” per the complaint.

Employees believed they had no choice but to resign because they feared for their physical safety and could no longer endure the workplace.

‘Pet My Kitty’

The harassers were not always men. One female employee regularly asked male employees to touch her vagina by lifting her apron and asking them to “pet her kitty.” She would also regularly grope male employees’ genitalia, according to the complaint.

The EEOC argued the misconduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits a hostile workplace environment based on sex, including sexual harassment.

As well as agreeing to the $1.2 million payment, NRS will implement additional measures to deter and respond to incidents of sexual harassment.