[/floatl]Star Bulletin: Company will appeal sex harassment ruling
The Japan-based travel company and one of its managers who were ordered to pay $1.2 million to a former employee for sexual harassment and wrongful termination will appeal this week's jury verdict, their lawyer said yesterday...John Shortridge, the Waikiki customer service manager who was identified in the lawsuit as the primary harasser, is still employed by the company and is undergoing training in Japan to become general manager of the company's Vietnam branch...Laurent Remillard Jr., the lawyer of former employee Rieko Aoki, said..."H.I.S. rejected Ms. Aoki's sexual harassment claims and in fact promoted the manager, the primary harasser, and ultimately promoted Mr. Shortridge to chief operating officer of the company"...During the course of her 14-month employment with H.I.S., Aoki, 29, was subjected to repeated groping and attempts to remove her bra by Shortridge and others, Remillard said. Shortridge also repeatedly pressed on Aoki's breasts with pens and picked her up from behind to attempt to expose her undergarments, he said. Remillard said Shortridge also repeatedly pressed Aoki for sexual favors, referred to her using a sexually demeaning nickname, and spread malicious sexual rumors about her...more...
