Three former employees of a Norfolk-area home health care company will share a $60,000 payout after the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accused the business of subjecting female workers to sexual harassment. The federal agency reached the settlement with Moore Comfort Home Care, LLC on behalf of the women, resolving a lawsuit filed against the company.
According to the EEOC, one of the company's owners was accused of harassing conduct that allegedly began in March 2023, when the owner repeatedly stared at one woman's body while driving her from a client's home in Suffolk to the company's Norfolk office. As reported by WTKR, the lawsuit further alleges that on May 18, 2023, the owner made sexual comments to the woman at the Norfolk office, moved between her legs, and pulled her hands inside his shirt.
The woman reported the incident the next day, per the lawsuit, and resigned four days later. The EEOC's suit was filed on behalf of three women in total, with Ms. Barnes credited with bringing the complaint forward to the commission, per the same account.
What the Settlement Requires
Under the terms of a three-year consent decree, Moore Comfort Home Care, LLC must pay the $60,000 in damages to the affected employees, change its harassment policies, and provide harassment training to staff. The company must also hire an independent HR monitor as part of the agreement, the station's report notes.
Gabriel Mondino, a trial attorney with the EEOC's Richmond office, encouraged people experiencing workplace discrimination to come forward quickly. The EEOC conducts investigations into workplace discrimination complaints by interviewing complainants, witnesses, and employer representatives, and its services are free — employees do not need a lawyer to seek help from the agency, per the same report.
Company's Response and Broader Context
Moore Comfort Home Care did not respond to a request for comment, according to the article. The settlement adds to a body of sexual harassment enforcement actions the EEOC has pursued against employers; the agency separately publishes nationwide charge data tracking Title VII sexual harassment complaints, though that data does not by itself establish how this case compares to broader trends.
