Carrie Chuang has filed a lawsuit against Juul Labs, alleging she was fired from her position after reporting that she was sexually harassed.
Chuang claims that she was sexually harassed by three colleagues between October 2016 and February 2018. She said that a coworker made sexually suggestive comments and touched her breasts and buttocks and kissed her face and ears against her will. She said she reported the behavior to several managers and executives, who never took corrective action.
The lawsuit states that the then director of manufacturing told her to avoid reporting the matter further. The suit claims in another incident, Chuang was sexually harassed by the same manager to whom she reported the initial incident.
The suit additionally alleges that employees spread false rumors about Chuang, saying that she had sexual relations with a vendor, took bribes and stole company files.
Chuang was fired in December 2018. The lawsuit says that this occurred in a closed room and when Chuang attempted to leave, the human resources director told her she couldn’t leave. She says that the company fired her over false accusations that she stole company data.
Chuang is seeking unspecified punitive damages, in addition to economic damages including back pay, equity, benefits and other compensation.
“This employee separated from the company last year. She raised these allegations several months later, and after an internal investigation we believe that they have no merit. We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable workplace free of all forms of harassment,” a Juul spokesperson said in response to the lawsuit.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a company has been sued for sexual harassment. Last month, a former employee, Jenna Ries, filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, claiming that a coworker grabbed her breasts and buttocks and propositioned her for sex.
Ms. Ries said that a store manager repeatedly harassed her, pulled her hair, called her names and even put his penis in her hand. She said that she witnessed similar harassment of other women and girls and told the general manager about the behavior. The behavior, however, continued.