ALFORD VS.

AARONS
RENTS
D I A N A D E LO N G / C I A RA N G A L L AG H E R

EEOC DEFINITION OF SEXUAL

HARASSMENT

Unwelcome sexual advances, requests

for sexual favors, and verbal or physical
conduct of a sexual nature

BACKGROUND

CASE DETAILS
Stated sexual harassment

Pinched her
Made lewd comments
Hit her head with his genitals
Trapped her in the storeroom
and masturbated in front of her

Called the company sexual

abuse hotline, but her
complaints were ignored.
So she contacted an
attorney

CHARGES
12 different counts

I: Common Law Assault

II: Common Law Battery
III: Negligent Hiring
IV: Negligent Retention
V: Negligent Supervision
VI: Negligent Investigating of a Sexual Harassment Claim
VII: Negligent Repair
VIII, IX, & X: Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress
XI: Retaliation
XII: Sexual Harassment

NEGLIGENCE CHARGES
According to Human Resource Management (12th
Edition):
Negligent Hiring: The liability an employer incurs
when it fails to conduct a reasonable investigation of an
applicants background, and then assigns a potentially
dangerous person to a position in which he or she can
inflict harm.
Negligent Retention: The liability an employer may
incur when a company keeps persons on the payroll
whose records indicate strong potential for wrongdoing
and fails to take steps to defuse a possible violent
situation

LAW

TitleVIIof
theCivil Rights
Actof 1964
Title I of the
Civil Rights Act
of 1991

VERDICT

Guilty
Ashley awarded $95
million

I was
relieved. It felt so good
I was relieved. It felt so good
that that group of people took the

thatand
thateffort
grouptooflisten
people
tookto
the
time
to me,
time and
tohear
listen
to me, to
believe
meeffort
and to
my
believe me and to hear my

story.
story.

RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Background checks, to
avoid negligent hiring
2) Report harassment as
soon as it happens, to
avoid further abuse.
3) Appropriate
disciplinary action, to
avoid negligent
retention.
4) Strictly enforce these
policies

WORKS CITED
http://www.ksdk.com/news/article/262625/3/95million-awarded-in-sex-harassment-case
http://www.scribd.com/doc/57522119/Alford-vAarons-Rents
http://www.sanfrancisco-employmentlawyer.com/2011/06/woman-wins-95-million-inlandmark-sexual-harassment-suit.shtml
Human Resource Management textbook