Albuquerque-AMG Specialty Hospital, LLC and Acadiana Management Group, LLC, operating AMG Specialty Hospital in Albuquerque, NM, violated federal law by subjecting a former female director of case management, Moriah Smith, to a sexually hostile work environment, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit. The EEOC further alleges that AMG’s failure to remedy the hostile work environment of this employee ultimately resulted in forcing her to leave the job. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the male chief clinical officer at AMG sexually harassed Smith by subjecting her to repeated sexual verbal comments, sexually explicit texts to her work cell phone, and unwanted physical touching at work. In response to a complaint, AMG concluded the allegations were unsubstantiated. The EEOC charges that AMG’s failure to prevent or remedy the harassment created intolerable working conditions for Smith, which forced her to resign. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sex harassment as a form of sex discrimination. The lawsuit seeks back pay, compensatory damages, and punitive damages for the charging party, as well as appropriate injunctive relief to prevent sexual harassment and sex-based discriminatory practices in the future.
