Wilson County Emergency Communications, Retaliation, North Carolina 2024

Wilson County Emergency Communications (WCEC) in North Carolina is facing a lawsuit from the Justice Department for alleged retaliation against an employee who reported being sexually harassed on the job.

The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina, alleges that Jennifer Riddle, a former WCEC employee, was terminated after she disclosed to supervisors that she had been sexually harassed while working as a telecommunicator trainee in 2017.

According to the filing, Riddle complained of the harassment, and an investigation ensued, resulting in the termination of the Assistant Director of WCEC. However, Riddle soon began experiencing hostility from her supervisor and co-workers, culminating in a transfer and, ultimately, termination, when she disclosed to the supervisors on her new shift that she had previously been sexually harassed and that WCEC failed to effectively deal with her harasser.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is seeking to require WCEC to develop and implement policies that would prevent retaliation. The United States also seeks monetary relief for Riddle to compensate her for damages that she sustained as a result of the alleged retaliation.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated, ‘The Civil Rights Division will not tolerate attempts by employers to silence victims of sexual harassment.’

Riddle filed a charge of discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which investigated the charge and made a reasonable cause finding. After unsuccessful conciliation efforts, the EEOC referred the charge to the Justice Department.

The United States, through this lawsuit, seeks to enforce the full and fair enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal statute that prohibits employers from discriminating on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion, as well as from retaliating against employees for engaging in activities protected by Title VII, such as complaining about discrimination.

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