CBRE embroiled in harassment litigation with former workers.FIVE former female employees of CB Richard Ellis CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. NYSE: CBG is a multinational real estate corporation currently based in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.. On December 20, 2006, the corporation, also known as CBRE, completed acquisition of Trammell Crow Co. in a transaction valued at $2. Group Inc. filed a motion in Chicago last week seeking class-action status for a 2002 lawsuit that alleges the company condoned a pattern of sexual harassment sexual harassment, in law, verbal or physical behavior of a sexual nature, aimed at a particular person or group of people, especially in the workplace or in academic or other institutional settings, that is actionable, as in tort or under equal-opportunity statutes. and had few policies or procedures to protect women against it. The five were all fired from various offices of the Los Angeles-based real estate company. One of the named plaintiffs, Kristine Moran, maintains she was dismissed from her job in Phoenix when she became pregnant with her first child. Another, Dondi Plank, said she lost her job as a technical support specialist in the Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. office because of "a hostile work environment A hostile work environment exists when an employee experiences workplace harassment and fears going to work because of the offensive, intimidating, or oppressive atmosphere generated by the harasser. that pervades corporate culture." CB Richard Ellis responded by filing a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. In a statement, the company said, "We have aggressively investigated these issues and, based on all the facts we have, we believe the lawsuit and this motion are unjustified." The company also accused plaintiff's attorneys of "distorting the facts" in the case. "Allegations such as these are of great concern to us, especially since CB Richard Ellis works so hard to maintain a workplace where women thrive, grow and succeed," the company stated. Earlier this year, magistrate Judge Martin C. Ashman ordered the company to produce one employee from each of 13 different offices so plaintiffs' lawyers could get a sampling for the class. Roughly 25 women have signed affidavits describing a pattern of sexual harassment, said Beth Fegan, a lawyer with Wexler Firm LLP LLP - Lower Layer Protocol in Chicago, home of the lead plaintiff. The plaintiffs maintain they were subjected to "persistent and offensive touching and groping grope v. groped, grop·ing, gropes v.intr. 1. To reach about uncertainly; feel one's way: groped for the telephone. 2. ," vulgar comments and degrading references, and were even flashed by their male counterparts. When evidence of pornographic e-mails, Web sites and videotapes were given to supervisors, the lawsuit contends, they were ignored or rejected by executives. If the motion for class-action status succeeds, up to 9,000 current and former CBRE CBRE CB Richard Ellis (real-estate firm) CBRE Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive CBRE Component-Based Reliability Estimation CBRE Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis (Boston, MA) employees could become members of the class. |
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