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Press Release 09-21-2017

EEOC Sues Lakeshore Sport and Fitness For  Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

Gym Subjected Female Employees to Unwanted Touching and Sexual Advances, Fired Employee Who Complained, Federal Agency Charges

CHICAGO - Lincoln Park gym Lakeshore Sport and Fitness violated federal law when it fired an employee in retaliation for her complaints about sexual harassment, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today. The federal agency charged Lakeshore with failing to protect its female restaurant employees at its Lincoln Park location from unwelcome comments and touching by one of its male restaurant employees.

Julianne Bowman, the EEOC's district director in Chicago who managed the federal agency's pre-suit administrative investigation, said that the EEOC's investigation revealed that a male supervisor subjected restaurant employees Shelita Bridges and Shayleaf Alsberry to unwanted touching and sexual advances.

Bridges repeatedly complained about the sexual harassment she had experienced, Bowman said. Rather than responding to Bridges's complaints by investigating them and possibly disciplining the harasser, Lakeshore instead chose to fire Bridges, Bowman said.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment and retaliation in employment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. LHC Operating LLC d/b/a Lakeshore Sport and Fitness, Civil Action No. 17-cv-6803 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on Sept. 20th after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis. The EEOC is seeking full relief, including reinstatement, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and non-monetary measures to correct Lakeshore's practices going forward.

Gregory Gochanour, regional attorney of the EEOC's Chicago District Office, said, "Lakeshore had the opportunity to stop the harassment and chose not to. By looking the other way, Lakeshore put its employees in harm's way and its company at risk for this lawsuit."

According to company information, Lakeshore promotes health and fitness services in the Chicago metropolitan area and employs over 500 people.

The EEOC's Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of employment discrimination, administrative enforcement and the conduct of agency litigation in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.