X-Treme Tech Services to Pay $52,500 to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Lawsuit

THIBODEAUX, La. – X-Treme Tech Services, LLC, which provides marine electronic services, will pay $52,500 and provide other equitable relief to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC filed the lawsuit on behalf of a female administrative assistant for X-Treme Tech. According to the lawsuit, the employee’s supervisor repeatedly and persistently subjected her to unwelcome sexual advances, sent her numerous sexually explicit text messages and images, commented on her body, touched her inappropriately, attempted to kiss her and propositioned her for sex. After she repeatedly declined his advances, he became critical of her work, and she was subsequently fired.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits sexual harassment and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. X-Treme Tech Services, LLC, Case No. 24-1829) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Under the five-year consent decree resolving the case, X-Treme Tech will pay $52,500 to compensate the employee; review and revise its harassment policies; train all employees and managers on sexual harassment and Title VII; and provide training information, complaints, and policy modifications to the EEOC.

“Employers must take effective steps to ensure that all employees understand what constitutes sexual harassment and make clear that engaging in such misconduct in the workplace will have real consequences,” said Rudy Sustaita, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Houston District Office. “It takes the courage of charging parties to come forward.”

Senior trial attorney in the New Orleans Field Office Jacqueline Barber said, “Sexual harassment and retaliation inflict harm well beyond the moment they occur, with long-lasting effects on morale, confidence and career success.”

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC’s Houston District Office has jurisdiction over southeast Texas, as well as all of Louisiana.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.