'BABIES R US' TO PAY $205,000, IMPLEMENT TRAINING DUE TO SAME-SEX HARASSMENT OF MALE EMPLOYEE
NEWARK, N.J. - The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has announced the resolution of its employment discrimination lawsuit against Babies "R" Us, Inc., a division of the toy store giant, Toys "R" Us of Paramus, N.J. The lawsuit charged the company with subjecting Andres Vasquez of Paterson, N.J., to a sexually hostile work environment because of his sex, male, in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. A Consent Decree settling the litigation [Case No. 02-CV-989(WGB)], which provides for $205,000 for Mr. Vasquez and comprehensive training of the company's workforce in New Jersey, was entered earlier this week with the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey before Judge William G. Bassler. The initial suit, filed on March 6, 2002, alleged that throughout his employment Mr. Vasquez was the target of unwelcome and derogatory comments as well as behavior that mocked him because he did not conform to societal stereotypes o...