Filed Date: July 15, 2002
Closed Date: March 1, 2004
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In July 2002, the Chicago District Office of the EEOC filed this lawsuit against construction companies Pickus Construction & Equipment Company, Inc. and Gurtz Electric Co in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois alleging discrimination on the basis of gender, female in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the complaint alleged the defendant allowed sexually offensive graffiti to remain on the walls of a construction site and public toilet, thereby creating a sexually hostile work environment. Following some discovery, the parties settled the lawsuit in March and June 2004 through two consent decrees.
Only the consent decree between the EEOC and Pickus is available. The two-year decree, containing anti-discrimination and retaliation clauses, required the defendant to: report on complaints and make other compliance reports, keep records, allow the EEOC access for monitoring, update its anti-discrimination policy, post and distribute notice of employee rights, provide EEO training, implement a complaint resolution process, and pay $29,750 to be distributed among two individuals. The EEOC Litigation Settlement Report states that Gurtz was required to pay the claimants $50,000.
Summary Authors
Daisy Manning (4/25/2008)
Last updated March 27, 2025, 8:55 a.m.
State / Territory: Illinois
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
IWPR/Wage Project Consent Decree Study
Key Dates
Filing Date: July 15, 2002
Closing Date: March 1, 2004
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on behalf of one or more workers.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Gurtz Electric Co (Lake Barrington, Illinois), Private Entity/Person
Pickus Construction & Equipment Company, Inc. (Lake Barrington, Illinois), Private Entity/Person
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Develop anti-discrimination policy
Post/Distribute Notice of Rights / EE Law
Provide antidiscrimination training
Implement complaint/dispute resolution process
Amount Defendant Pays: 79750
Order Duration: 2003 - 2005
Issues
Discrimination Area:
Harassment / Hostile Work Environment
Discrimination Basis:
Affected Sex/Gender(s):
EEOC-centric: