EEOC Sues GEM Management For Sexual Harassment

INDIANAPOLIS – GEM Management, LLC, a property management company specializing in affordable housing headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, violated federal civil rights law when it subjected an employee to sexual harassment and constructive discharge, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, GEM Management knew its Sanford, Kentucky site manager reported being sexually harassed, but failed to address it, instead directing the employee to continue working with her harasser. This conduct created a hostile work environment and led the employee to resign.

This alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits discrimination because of sex, including sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. GEM Management, LLC, Case No. 5:24-cv-00199-GFVT, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, Lexington Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through the agency’s conciliation process.

“Workplace harassment that alters an employee’s working conditions because of the individual’s sex violates federal law,” said Kenneth L. Bird, the EEOC’s regional attorney in Indianapolis. “The EEOC is committed to holding employers accountable for allowing harassment to continue.”

EEOC Trial Attorney Kathleen Bensberg said, “Federal law makes clear that employers cannot ignore sexual harassment. We will vigorously pursue relief for this victim and in the public interest.”

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

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and parts of Ohio.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.