MESA, Ariz. — Christian Care Management, Inc. (CCMI), a senior living facility management company, operating six Fellowship Square locations throughout Arizona, will pay $250,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, male residents at the CCMI-owned Fellowship Square location in Mesa, Arizona, repeatedly subjected multiple female employees to sexual harassment by requesting sexual favors, directing inappropriate sexual language towards them, sitting in their underwear while housekeeping staff cleaned their rooms, and grabbing an employee’s breast and private parts.

The female employees reported the harassment to Mesa managers, but management failed to follow its own sexual harassment policies by failing to notify human resources and not taking adequate steps to curb the continuing escalation of harassment.

Despite repeated reports detailing the inappropriate sexual nature of one resident’s interactions with female staff, management nevertheless tasked a female employee with driving the resident to an appointment, placing her alone in a vehicle with the resident. As she drove, she was assaulted. The suit alleges the resident grabbed her breast and private parts while exposing himself. CCMI denied her request to take the day off after the assault. The company waited four days after the assault to initiate a psychological evaluation of the resident and another 13 days before beginning the process to evict him, according to the EEOC’s suit.

“Sexual harassment in any workplace, no matter the harasser, is illegal and violates federal civil rights law. We are pleased to secure a settlement in this important case and raise awareness of sexual harassment perpetrated by residents in senior living communities while informing staff of their rights,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix District. “Employers have a legal duty to prevent, investigate, and eliminate sexual harassment any time it occurs. Employers must take all appropriate actions swiftly to protect employees and prevent repeated misconduct and violations of the law.”

The alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Christian Care Management, Inc., d/b/a Christian Care Companies/Fellowship Square, Case No. 2:24-cv-02620-GMS) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

“There is no acceptable amount of sexual harassment,” said EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Karl Tetzlaff. “Companies should investigate and adequately respond to all complaints in order to prevent a continuing escalation of unlawful sexually harassing behavior.”

Under the consent decree resolving the lawsuit, in addition to paying $250,000 to the victims of sexual harassment, CCMI will review and revise its anti-discrimination policies to prevent unlawful sexual harassment, including sexual harassment by residents. The company will also include an anti-sexual harassment policy in its resident handbook.

For more information about sexual harassment, visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction over Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and part of New Mexico.

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.