Woman files sexual harassment lawsuit against Belle Vernon energy company
A Westmoreland County woman sued a Belle Vernon company, claiming she was sexually harassed for two years.
Michelle Wilson of Harris City alleged her supervisor at Guttman Energy Inc. started physically and verbally harassing her in May 2014, after she was hired as a software developer.
When Wilson resisted, her supervisor treated her poorly at work, her attorney, John E. Quinn, claimed in the federal suit filed Friday.
Wilson reported the incidents to another manager, Quinn wrote. A short time later, Wilson was written up for speaking to a customer about her concerns, although around that same time, she was gived a positive performance review.
That manager also informed Wilson that she needed to apologize to the male supervisor amd refused to give Wilson access to the side door of the data center, and that forced Wilson to interrupt meetings in progress, gave Wilson impossible deadlines, took projects off her docket without reason or notice and prevented Wilson from receiving emails and invitations to meetings, the suit claimed.
Wilson was written up another time for entering into a client’s office without asking and a third time for interrupting a manager during a meeting.
According to the complaint, Wilson was approached by company managers in June 2015 that the supervisor was terminated for a breach of security unrelated to Wilson’s issues.
After Wilson signed a statement confirming the investigation and assuring she would not retaliate against the company in the future, Wilson was blamed for the sexual harassment, alleging that she had an inappropriate relationship with the supervisor.
Wilson emailed formal complaints to upper management about the alleged harassment and retaliation, but her emails were ignored and she was terminated on March 28, 2016, Quinn wrote.
Wilson is seeking punitive and compensatory damages as she suffered from mental and emotional stress and a decline of physical health, the suit claimed.