Walt Disney Co.-owned ABC Signature has agreed to pay US$3mil (RM13.3) to settle a lawsuit from the California Civil Rights Department that alleged sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of the CBS police drama Criminal Minds, considered one of TV’s longest-running collection.
The division’s lawsuit, filed in May 2020, alleged that over 14 years, Gregory St. Johns, director of images for the collection, “used his place of energy to create an unchecked hostile work setting in which he subjected manufacturing crew members to frequent sexual harassment, together with touching and caressing quite a few workers”.
The Civil Rights Department, in a press release issued final week, stated that ABC Signature would additionally revise and distribute insurance policies to all reveals produced by the unit and take different steps to make sure there are not any unaddressed complaints of harassment and retaliation on set. Additionally, the corporate will report on compliance yearly to the division.
“Crew members courageously got here ahead to claim their proper to make a dwelling free from sexual harassment,” Civil Rights Department Director Kevin Kish stated in a press release.
“No matter the trade, office setting, or gender of the staff, firms should tackle credible complaints of harassment and retaliation and take motion towards harassers.”
A consultant for ABC Signature declined to remark.
The swimsuit named Walt Disney Co., ABC Signature Studios Inc., CBS Studios Inc., St. Johns and members of the manager manufacturing staff of the tv collection as defendants.
According to the swimsuit, St. Johns “doted on sure males and handled them extra favourably, supplied they acquiesced to his consideration. To those that resisted, he retaliated in frequent patterns, together with the silent remedy, social ostracism, unfair criticism, public shaming and finally termination”.
The lawsuit additionally claimed that the manager manufacturing staff had data of and condoned St. Johns’ alleged conduct, “firing over a dozen males who resisted St. John’s harassment,” in line with a press release from the state company. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
