Hawaii tour companies settle same-sex harassment suit
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Three related Honolulu-based tour companies will pay $570,000 to settle a same-sex sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the agency said Wednesday.
The EEOC said it filed suit against the three companies – Discovering Hidden Hawaii Tours Inc., Hawaii Tours and Transportation Inc. and Big Kahuna Luau Inc. – in 2017, charging that Discovering Hidden Hawaii’s male president engaged in a pattern of sexually harassing male employees, many of whom were subsequently forced to quit because of the harassment, or were retaliated against for reporting it. The companies were charged with violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 164.
As part of the settlement, in addition to paying $570,000 to a class of male employees, the settlement requires that the alleged harasser have no further involvement in operations and divest control of them.
The companies also agreed to designate an external equal employment opportunity consultant to ensure their compliance with Title VII and antiretaliation policies and regulations, the EEOC said in its statement.
Anna Park, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District, which includes Hawaii in its jurisdiction, said in a statement, “This settlement sends an unequivocal message that accountability is required regardless of who the alleged harasser is, and no one is above the law under Title VII. The EEOC will continue to relentlessly enforce laws against any sexual harassment in workplaces.”
The company’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
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