An Edmond sunroom design studio has agreed to pay $150,000 to three former employees to resolve a federal lawsuit accusing its majority owner of years of unwanted sexual comments and groping, along with retaliation against a worker who complained. The settlement closes out a case the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought against Sunrooms and More Design Center Inc. after conciliation efforts failed.
According to court records cited by courtlistener.com, the EEOC filed its complaint on behalf of former employee Leisa Shannon and other women who worked at the company, alleging that since at least November 2021, owner Donald Durrett subjected Shannon and other female employees to a sexually hostile work environment. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
Shannon and other women began working for Sunrooms and More in October 2022, and the complaint described a pattern of conduct from Durrett that allegedly included asking female employees if they were ready for their birthday spankings and telling workers not to get pregnant while celebrating their birthdays. The filings also alleged he told an employee her voice was sexy and told another he hoped her husband knew how lucky he was. Separately, the complaint alleged Durrett touched women without consent, including grabbing a female employee's buttocks and around the waist, as well as a worker's thigh-high sock, and that he touched a female worker's legs at a pool during a business trip.
Shannon Says She Pushed Back Before Reporting It
Court records indicate Shannon opposed Durrett's behavior directly, telling him it was unwanted and inappropriate. In May 2023, according to court documents, she reported the comments, innuendos and touching to general manager Michael Hainrihar.
The complaint alleged that Sunrooms and More then subjected Shannon to adverse actions, including attempting to send her home without pay after she reported Durrett's touching, denying her request for a day off and withholding bonuses she had earned. Those actions, per the complaint, led to her constructive discharge on May 15, 2023, when she resigned.
The EEOC filed its lawsuit against Sunrooms on September 30, 2024, after it was unable to reach a conciliation agreement, per the same court record. The agency alleged the company acted with malice and reckless indifference to employees' federal rights and requested a jury trial along with a permanent injunction against further discrimination. Before the case settled, the court denied Sunrooms' motion to dismiss, finding that the EEOC had sufficiently stated claims for hostile work environment and retaliation, according to the court's opinion.
What the Settlement Requires Going Forward
Under the deal, Sunrooms and More Design Center will pay the $150,000 to three former employees, with one portion going to an employee who faced retaliation and the rest split between two employees who endured sexual harassment, as reported by oklahoman.com. The agreement also requires the company to create and distribute a sexual-harassment policy and train its owners, managers and employees, and it bars the company from further sex-based discrimination. Any future complaints about harassment involving the business must now be sent directly to the EEOC, the Oklahoman reports.
As The Journal Record notes, the settlement includes no admission of guilt or wrongdoing by the company or its owner. Durrett has denied the allegations of harassment and retaliation.
Part of a Broader Pattern in Oklahoma Workplaces
The case is one of several EEOC settlements this year involving Oklahoma employers accused of sexual harassment or retaliation. In April, Sofidel America agreed to pay $80,000 to resolve a federal lawsuit alleging harassment and the firing of a worker who complained at its Inola plant, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In January, Arch Fellow North LLC, which owns eight McDonald's restaurants in eastern Oklahoma, agreed to pay $80,000 and provide other relief to settle a separate sexual-harassment lawsuit, per the agency's newsroom.
Nationally, the EEOC has found that of 27,291 sexual-harassment charges filed, 43.5% were concurrently filed with a retaliation charge, underscoring how often complaints and pushback against workers go hand in hand. Sunrooms and More is described in court filings as a sunroom design studio with Durrett as its owner.
