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Press Release 09-28-2011

WirelessComm Sued For Sexual Harassment

Teenage Employee Harassed by Owner and Manager

SAN JOSE, Calif. – WirelessComm, Inc., a distributor for Metro PCS, violated  federal law by subjecting a teen employee to sexual harassment, the U.S. Equal  Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC, the store manager of  WirelessComm's Watsonville  store subjected then 19-year-old Deisy Mora to ongoing sexual harassment. He frequently commented about her physical  appearance, texted her photos of himself and the words "Te quiero" ('I love  you' in Spanish), and referred to women in general with slurs and epithets. In addition, the store owner also contributed  to the harassment, inviting Mora to travel with him, asking her and others if  they were pregnant and, on one occasion, asking her to text photos of herself  and other female staff members. Mora  worked as a sales person and assistant manager from April 2007 until she felt  forced to quit in October 2007 due to the hostile and abusive work environment,  the EEOC alleged.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal  to harass employees based on sex. After  first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement, the EEOC filed the lawsuit EEOC v. WirelessComm, Inc. (Case No. C  11-04796 HRL), in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California,  and seeks monetary damages, including back pay, compensation for emotional  distress and punitive damages, as well as an injunction to prevent further  discrimination.

"Ms.  Mora was a teenager at the time. As we  have seen in other cases, the harassment affected her emotionally and impacted  her self-esteem," said EEOC San Francisco Regional  Attorney William R. Tamayo. "Sexual  harassment of teen employees is unacceptable. It is critically important that  we protect the rights of these particularly vulnerable members of our workforce."

EEOC  San Francisco District Director Michael Baldonado added, "The EEOC takes  allegations of harassment very seriously, especially when the employees being  harassed are teenagers. For many of  these employees, this is their first job and the impact of facing  discrimination can be life-altering."

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment  discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site  at www.eeoc.gov.