Sofidel to Pay $80,000 in EEOC Sex Discrimination, Retaliation Lawsuit

Paper manufacturer settles federal lawsuit charging it with sexual harassment at its Inola, Oklahoma plant and firing the woman after she complained

OKLAHOMA CITY – Sofidel America Corp., an international manufacturer of paper products with a plant in Inola, Oklahoma, will pay $80,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sex discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s suit, Sofidel allowed a male employee to sexually harass a young female coworker for more than six months, including making lewd sexual comments and forcibly trying to kiss her. She complained to the company on June 6, 2023, but the harassment continued, the EEOC said.

Because Sofidel failed to protect her, the young woman obtained an Emergency Protective Order against the harasser from the District Court of Tulsa County, Oklahoma, on July 7, 2023, and provided a copy of it to Sofidel on July 10. The next day, on July 11, Sofidel fired the young woman because she obtained the protective order, but allowed the harasser to remain employed.

“Federal law protects workers who oppose sexual harassment and who participate in legal processes to make the harassment stop,” said Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office. “Employers must take prompt and effective action to stop and remedy sexual harassment and must never retaliate against workers who try to protect themselves or others from such misconduct.”

This alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Sofidel America Corp., Case No. 4:24-cv-00462-JFJ) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

David S. Davis, district director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office, said, “The EEOC vigorously protects women in the workplace. The EEOC is committed to ensuring that employers comply with federal law so that women are not denied equal employment opportunities because of sex.”

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

The EEOC’s St. Louis District Office has jurisdiction over Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and a portion of southern Illinois, with area offices in Kansas City, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

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.