Friday, April 01, 2016

Joplin man claims he was sexually harassed at Home Depot

A Joplin man who says he was sexually harassed when he was working at Home Depot, is seeking the right to sue the company.

KQFX in Columbia reports that Andrew Farthing is suing the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, which refused to provide a letter permitting him to sue Home Depot, saying that sexual orientation is not a protected class.

Andrew Farthing used to work at a Home Depot hardware store in Joplin, and claims his co-workers harassed him using slurs typically targeted against homosexuals. Farthing says his bosses did nothing to fix the situation, so he went to the MCHR seeking a right-to-sue letter.

According to Farthing's suit, the commission refused to give him such a letter, claiming sexual orientation is not a protected class. The lawsuit, however, argues the Missouri State Supreme Court has ruled numerous times same-sex sexual harassment is included as discrimination in the Missouri Human Rights Act.

No comments: