Equal Employment Opportunity Commission vs. Skywest Airlines Inc.

Case Background

On August 17, 2022, Plaintiff Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a workplace harassment lawsuit in the United States District Court, Texas Northern (Case number: 3:22cv1807). Senior Judge Sidney A Fitzwater presided over the case.

Cause

SkyWest Airlines employed Sarah Budd starting in January 2007, during which she held various roles before transferring to Dallas-Fort Worth as a Parts Clerk in August 2019. While working in the Parts and Maintenance Divisions, her coworkers and supervisors subjected her to severe workplace harassment. This included crude sexual comments, explicit remarks about her body, and inappropriate suggestions of sexual acts. A Maintenance Supervisor even suggested to her coworkers that she engage in prostitution during a parts pickup trip. Coworkers frequently made comments about rape and violent sexual acts in her presence. On September 4, 2019, Budd reported the workplace harassment to her Parts Clerk Manager, who warned that taking action could make her more of a target. The ongoing hostile work environment forced her to take unpaid medical leave from October to December 2019. Upon her return, the harassment escalated, including sexually explicit behavior involving a c