South Jersey Sexual Harassment Lawyers: Kay and Jared Face Allegations

Sexual Harassment and Discrimination at Sterling

Sterling Jewelers, the parent company of Kay Jewelers and Jared Galleria of Jewelry have recently had hundreds of former employees come forward with a variety of allegations, from sexual harassment to discrimination. According to court documents, these claims indicate that that the chief executive, among other officers of the company, have created a corporate culture in which harassment and discrimination are commonplace.

Over two hundred employees of Sterling have filed a class-action lawsuit against their former employer, with reports of female employees being regularly sexually targeted both physically and emotionally, in addition to being urged to engage in sexual activity with their superiors. The case was originally filed in 2008, when roughly 20 women accused the company of gender discrimination. Since then, the case has grown both in size and scope, affecting roughly 70,000 women across the country.

While many documents for the case, including written statements by former employees, were written several years ago, the prosecution has not been able to release the statements until now. Several of these statements indicate that some of the top management at the company hired scouts to approach attractive female employees with whom they wanted to engage in sexual activity, and trading better positions or other benefits in exchange for sex.

Other Allegations Against Sterling

Allegations against the company do not all involve sexual misconduct – other accusations include mishandling of wages and promotions, with female employees receiving lower pay and being passed over for promotions in favor of male employees. This in turn may have contributed to pressure on women to give in to the sexual advances of company superiors in exchange for better treatment. The employees involved in the case, both current and former, are seeking reparation for lost wages due to discrimination and other damages for the company’s misconduct. No estimate for the damages has yet been established.

Although Sterling has responded by fighting against the claims, with representatives stating that sexual harassment and discrimination claims are taken very seriously within the company, well over a thousand pages of statements have been released to date that indicate the opposite. The top officers for the company, including the chief executive, are included among those named engaging in these activities. To date, the company has not addressed the allegations against their top managers, and has not made any of them available for comment or interview.

South Jersey Discrimination Lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates P.C. Represent Victims of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

If you have been the victim of discrimination or harassment in the workplace, whether sexual in nature or otherwise, you have a right to seek reparations from your employer. Our team of South Jersey sexual harassment lawyers at Sidney L. Gold & Associates P.C. are dedicated to providing the highest quality representation to clients across New Jersey and the greater Philadelphia area. Contact us online or call 215-569-1999 for a free case consultation.