Anthony Roofing to Pay $700,000 in EEOC Race and Sex Harassment Lawsuit

CHICAGO — Anthony Roofing Tecta America LLC, an Aurora, Illinois-based roofing company, will pay $700,000 and furnish other relief to settle a race and sex harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

The EEOC suit asserted that one of Anthony Roofing’s vice presidents racially and sexually harassed multiple employees. This included repeatedly calling one employee the n-word and his “slave,” among other offensive racial remarks. The harassment continued even after the employee raised objections to such treatment. Left unaddressed, the harassment escalated — resulting in at least one instance of unwelcome physical contact, forcing the employee to quit to avoid further abuse.

Others faced similar harassment, both from supervisors and their fellow employees, referring to black employees as “black mother-f*****s” and degrading them through regular use of the n-word in the workplace, according to the EEOC’s suit. Additionally, the suit alleged that female employees were subjected to offensive comments about oral sex, derogatory comments about their bodies, and inappropriate, sex-based questions.

Multiple employees reported the race and sex harassment to management and human resources for Anthony Roofing, but the company failed to act. One employee who objected to the harassment was allegedly told by a manager, “you might as well put your two weeks’ [notice] in,” according to the suit.

“The egregious conduct alleged in this case has no place in the American workplace,” said EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas. “Under my leadership, the EEOC will continue its vigorous, evenhanded, and colorblind enforcement of Title VII to protect the rights of all workers.”

The alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits workplace harassment based on race and sex, as well as retaliating against individuals who oppose such harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Tecta America Corp. and Anthony Roofing Tecta America LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-14252) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

“Employers must not tolerate race or sex harassment in the workplace. The legal risk is particularly acute when the harassment is perpetrated by an officer of the company,” said EEOC Deputy General Counsel Christopher Lage. “Employers have a duty to address harassment at every level of the organization and to take steps to prevent harassment from continuing.”

In addition to monetary relief, the two-year consent decree resolving the lawsuit requires training for defendant’s managers and human resources employees on preventing and correcting harassment; posting notice of the lawsuit and settlement, record-keeping, and compliance-related reporting to the EEOC.

For more information on race and sexual harassment please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/racecolor-discrimination and https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Chicago District Office has jurisdiction over Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

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 also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.