Case: EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA

2:04-cv-01505 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

Filed Date: June 29, 2004

Closed Date: Oct. 31, 2007

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Case Summary

In June 2004, the EEOC's Seattle office filed this complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc., a tool and equipment catalog retailer with stores in 36 states, alleging violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically that defendant engaged in sexual harassment of female employees and retaliated against one by improperly discharging her. Three individual complainants intervened in the case in August 2004. A consent decree was agreed upon in October 2004 between the EEOC and the defendant and subsequently approved by the court. The intervenors dismissed their complaint in October 2004. The consent decree awarded $225,000 to the three complainants and enjoined the defendant from discriminating, harassing or retaliating in the future. The decree, which lasted three years, required the defendant to institute equal employment opportunity training, review and revise its EEO policies, expunge the complainants employment records, and provide certain regular reports to the EEOC.The decree was entered in 2004 and scheduled to last 2007. No further docket entries exist, so the case is closed.

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Summary Authors

Tony Friedman (7/26/2007)

Clearinghouse (12/27/2018)

Documents in the Clearinghouse

	Document
2:04-cv-01505	Docket EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc.	Oct. 8, 2004	Oct. 8, 2004 Docket
1-1 2:04-cv-01505	Complaint EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc. d/b/a Harbor Freight Tools	June 29, 2004	June 29, 2004 Complaint
8 2:04-cv-01505	Intervenor's Complaint EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc. d/b/a Harbor Freight Tools	Aug. 27, 2004	Aug. 27, 2004 Complaint
10 2:04-cv-01505	Intervenor's First Amended Complaint EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc. d/b/a Harbor Freight Tools	Sept. 2, 2004	Sept. 2, 2004 Complaint
14 2:04-cv-01505	Consent Decree and (Proposed) Order of Dismissal EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc. d/b/a Harbor Freight Tools	Oct. 8, 2004	Oct. 8, 2004 Settlement Agreement
2:04-cv-01505	EEOC Litigation Settlement Report EEOC v. Harbor Freight Tools USA, Inc.	Oct. 31, 2004	Oct. 31, 2004 Press Release

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Resources

Title	Description		External URL Date / External URL
Under the Radar: Visibility and the Effects of Discrimination Lawsuits in Small and Large Firms Carly Knight, Frank Dobbin, Alexandra Kalev	Research on how discrimination lawsuits affect corporate diversity has yielded mixed results. Qualitative studies highlight the limited efficacy of lawsuits in the typical workplace, finding that lit…	March 2022	April 1, 2022 https://cris.tau.ac.il/...

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Docket

Last updated March 26, 2025, 8:33 a.m.

ECF Number	Description	Date	Link Date / Link
1	COMPLAINT and JURY TRIAL DEMAND against defendant Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc (Summons(es) issued) (Receipt # fee waived) , filed by Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (Attachments: # 1 Civil Cover Sheet)(PM, ) (Entered: 07/01/2004)	June 29, 2004	June 29, 2004
2	SERVICE OF SUMMONS and Complaint returned executed upon defendant Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc on 7/9/2004 (RS, ) (Entered: 07/14/2004)	July 12, 2004	July 12, 2004
3	STIPULATION AND ORDER to extend deadline for dft to answer or otherwise respond to complaint by Judge Marsha J. Pechman. (RS, ) (Entered: 07/30/2004)	July 29, 2004	July 29, 2004
4	NOTICE of Appearance by attorney Damien Anthony Lee on behalf of Plaintiff Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Lee, Damien) (Entered: 08/03/2004)	Aug. 3, 2004	Aug. 3, 2004
	ORDER REASSIGNING CASE. Case reassigned to Judge James L Robart for all further proceedings. Judge Marsha J. Pechman no longer assigned to case. Hereinafter the case number shall be designated as C04- 1505JLR; trial dates and case schedule deadlines already set shall remain in place unless modified by Judge Robart; transfer as ordered by Judge Marsha J. Pechman. (SC, ) (Entered: 08/09/2004)	Aug. 9, 2004	Aug. 9, 2004
5	STIPULATION by parties. (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Intervenors' Complaint# 2 Proposed Order)(Johnson, Daniel) (Entered: 08/26/2004)	Aug. 26, 2004	Aug. 26, 2004
6	STIPULATION AND PROPOSED ORDER TO EXTEND DEADLINE FOR DEFENDANT TO ANSWER OR OTHERWISE RESPOND TO COMPLAINT by parties. (Lee, Damien) Modified text on 8/30/2004 (MD, ). (Entered: 08/27/2004)	Aug. 27, 2004	Aug. 27, 2004
7	ORDER GRANTING plaintiff-intervenors Sandra Bernhardt, Rebecca Myer and Jarman Minar leave to intervene and file the proposed intervenors' complaint re 5 Stipulation by Judge James L Robart. (MD, ) (Entered: 08/30/2004)	Aug. 27, 2004	Aug. 27, 2004
8	Intervenor COMPLAINT & Jury demand, filed by Sandra Bernhardt, Jarman Minar, Rebecca Myer.(MD, ) (Entered: 08/30/2004)	Aug. 27, 2004	Aug. 27, 2004 Clearinghouse
9	STIPULATION AND ORDER to extend deadline for deft to answer or otherwise respond to complaint to 8/28/04 re 6 Stipulation by Judge James L Robart. (MD, ) (Entered: 08/30/2004)	Aug. 27, 2004	Aug. 27, 2004
10	AMENDED COMPLAINT against defendant Harbor Freight Tools USA Inc, filed by Sandra Bernhardt, Jarman Minar, Rebecca Myer.(Johnson, Daniel) (Entered: 09/02/2004)	Sept. 2, 2004	Sept. 2, 2004 Clearinghouse
11	ORDER REGARDING INITIAL DISCLOSURES, JOINT STATUS REPORT AND EARLY SETTLEMENT Joint Status Report due by 10/22/2004; by Judge James L. Robart. (CC, ) (Entered: 09/10/2004)	Sept. 10, 2004	Sept. 10, 2004
12	STIPULATION AND PROPOSED Consent Decree by parties. (Attachments: # 1 Consent Decree Signed by Counsel# 2 Consent Decree Notice)(Lee, Damien) Modified text on 10/7/2004 (MD, ). (Entered: 10/06/2004)	Oct. 6, 2004	Oct. 6, 2004
13	NOTICE of Voluntary Dismissal of case by Intervenor Plaintiffs Sandra Bernhardt, Jarman Minar, Rebecca Myer (Johnson, Daniel) (Entered: 10/06/2004)	Oct. 6, 2004	Oct. 6, 2004
14	CONSENT DECREE and order of dismissal with prejudice and without costs or attorneys' fees to any party. Court retains jurisdiction of this matter for purposes of enforcing the Consent Decree approved herein by Judge James L. Robart. (MD, ) (Entered: 10/08/2004)	Oct. 8, 2004	Oct. 8, 2004 Clearinghouse