Home Depot settles sexual harassment case in Minnesota, will pay former employee $65K
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Home Depot and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights have reached a $65,000 settlement for a Twin Cities store employee who suffered years of sexual harassment on the job.
The department announced the settlement on Thursday following its investigation which found the victim, now a former employee, was subjected to harassment from three other employees at Home Depot's Fridley location between 2018 and 2021.
The victim reported the harassment on multiple occasions, but management took "little to no action," according to the department, violating Minnesota's Human Rights Act.
"My experience was deeply painful, and my goal in coming forward was not just to stand up for myself but also to raise awareness so that nobody else would ever have to go through what I went through," the victim said in a statement released by the department.
Besides the financial settlement, Home Depot also entered into a compliance agreement that will be monitored for the next two years, requiring the corporation to "create a workplace free from sexual harassment by enforcing anti-harassment politics, conducting training on those policies, and holding store managers accountable," according to the department.
"I hope my journey and the policy changes outlined in the settlement agreement helps pave the way for a safer, more respectful environment for all employees," the victim said.
WCCO has reached out to Home Depot for comment and is awaiting a response.
In 2023, the department entered into a consent decree with the owner of several metro McDonald's restaurants after a 14-year-old employee was sexually assaulted by her manager.
That same year, the department reached a sexual harassment settlement with a Vadnais Heights-based charter school district after a teacher assaulted a ninth-grade student.
.
Sexual Assault Resources
(SOS – Ramsey County)
Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
Aurora Center (U of MN)
360 Communities (Dakota County)
Hope Center (Rice County)
Canvas Health (Washington County)
Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault
General Sexual Assault Websites:
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
2 hours ago
- Washington Post
‘La migra!': Day laborers recount ICE raid outside Los Angeles Home Depot
LOS ANGELES — Angel knew from the moment he raised his hand with a whistle and shouted 'Labor!' at a white van pulling into the Home Depot parking lot full of workers last Friday that something felt wrong. The Honduran immigrant caught a glimpse of the driver and a passenger wearing what looked like bulletproof vests. He followed the vehicle with his eyes as it parked toward the eastern entrance near downtown Los Angeles and the heart of the city's Central American immigrant community.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Paramount, a proud Latino suburb, thrust into center of Trump crackdown
Jessica Juarez walked along Alondra Boulevard with a trash bag full of spent gas canisters, her voice hoarse as she helped clean her community with other residents Sunday morning. The volunteers were parents and neighbors in Paramount, armed with plastic bags, latex gloves and face masks. An acrid odor lingered in the air the day after law enforcement fired gas canisters and flash bang grenades at protesters on Alondra Boulevard. Read more: LAPD officers in riot gear clash with protesters in downtown L.A. "I'm proud of our community, of the strength we showed," Juarez, 40, said. "It's like they put so much fear into Paramount, and for what? These guys didn't even clean up after themselves." Paramount was thrown into the national spotlight over the weekend as the Trump administration on Saturday said it would send 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles after a second day in which protesters confronted immigration agents during raids of local businesses. Tension rose again Sunday in the Los Angeles area as protesters faced off with federal and local authorities in downtown L.A. Read more: 2,000 National Guard troops will be sent to L.A. amid clashes over immigration raids Paramount, a small city of 54,000 in southeastern Los Angeles County, is known for how its residents and government officials worked in the 1980s to transform their hometown from a blighted 'rust belt' community to one that gained national awards. The city's website says that crime in Paramount, where more than 80% of residents are Latino, has fallen to all-time lows. Residents say the chaotic clashes between federal immigration authorities and protesters on Saturday left them shaken. Scorch marks in the intersection outside the Home Depot on Alondra Boulevard show where flash bang grenades went off. Multiple police agencies responded to the city over the weekend. By Sunday morning, a group of camouflaged National Guard troops were stationed in a business park with armored vehicles where a Department of Homeland Security office is located. Union organizers and local residents Ardelia Aldridge and Alejandro Maldonado helped organize a cleanup effort in the neighborhood. "It's solidarity Sunday," Aldridge said. The images of Paramount shrouded in smoke and flanked by police in riot gear were a far cry from the close-knit community that was once named an "All-America City" and received a special commendation from the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for its turnaround. "The whole community is just praying that things stay peaceful and the community moves forward," Mayor Peggy Lemons said in an interview on Sunday. "Paramount was all about a community of blue-collar workers who are doing their best to get by every day," Lemons said. "Today there are people who are angry about the federal government coming into their city," she said. "That comes from fear." On Saturday, federal officers fired smoke canisters at protesters near the business park, and that putrid green smoke descended onto the nearby residential community. "What else do you call it but an attack on Paramount and the people who live here?" Maldonado said. "People in the community were standing up to unjust immigration policies." In many ways, Paramount became the starting point for the escalating federal response that has brought the National Guard. "It really does seem like they wanted to pick a fight with the little guy," Aldridge said. There's a palpable fear in the community, Pastor Brian Warth at Chapel of Change said as a band played an upbeat song during Sunday service. He watched Saturday afternoon as police fired tear gas and then was out on Sunday morning to help clean up Alondra Boulevard. He understands that some people may have got out of hand during the protest but believes that people who were outside the business park simply wanted answers. "And we still don't know what's going to happen next," he said. "I'm pleased and shocked to see people here today," he said about Sunday service. "There's a real unknowing feeling. God is good. Paramount is good." Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Paramount, a proud Latino suburb, thrust into center of Trump crackdown
Jessica Juarez walked along Alondra Boulevard with a trash bag full of spent gas canisters, her voice hoarse as she helped clean her community with other residents Sunday morning. The volunteers were parents and neighbors in Paramount, armed with plastic bags, latex gloves and face masks. An acrid odor lingered in the air the day after law enforcement fired gas canisters and flash bang grenades at protesters on Alondra Boulevard. 'I'm proud of our community, of the strength we showed,' Juarez, 40, said. 'It's like they put so much fear into Paramount, and for what? These guys didn't even clean up after themselves.' Paramount was thrown into the national spotlight over the weekend as the Trump administration on Saturday said it would send 2,000 National Guard troops into Los Angeles after a second day in which protesters confronted immigration agents during raids of local businesses. Tension rose again Sunday in the Los Angeles area as protesters faced off with federal and local authorities in downtown L.A. Paramount, a small city of 54,000 in southeastern Los Angeles County, is known for how its residents and government officials worked in the 1980s to transform their hometown from a blighted 'rust belt' community to one that gained national awards. The city's website says that crime in Paramount, where more than 80% of residents are Latino, has fallen to all-time lows. Residents say the chaotic clashes between federal immigration authorities and protesters on Saturday left them shaken. Scorch marks in the intersection outside the Home Depot on Alondra Boulevard show where flash bang grenades went off. Multiple police agencies responded to the city over the weekend. By Sunday morning, a group of camouflaged National Guard troops were stationed in a business park with armored vehicles where a Department of Homeland Security office is located. Union organizers and local residents Ardelia Aldridge and Alejandro Maldonado helped organize a cleanup effort in the neighborhood. 'It's solidarity Sunday,' Aldridge said. The images of Paramount shrouded in smoke and flanked by police in riot gear were a far cry from the close-knit community that was once named an 'All-America City' and received a special commendation from the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for its turnaround. 'The whole community is just praying that things stay peaceful and the community moves forward,' Mayor Peggy Lemons said in an interview on Sunday. 'Paramount was all about a community of blue-collar workers who are doing their best to get by every day,' Lemons said. 'Today there are people who are angry about the federal government coming into their city,' she said. 'That comes from fear.' On Saturday, federal officers fired smoke canisters at protesters near the business park, and that putrid green smoke descended onto the nearby residential community. 'What else do you call it but an attack on Paramount and the people who live here?' Maldonado said. 'People in the community were standing up to unjust immigration policies.' In many ways, Paramount became the starting point for the escalating federal response that has brought the National Guard. 'It really does seem like they wanted to pick a fight with the little guy,' Aldridge said. There's a palpable fear in the community, Pastor Brian Warth at Chapel of Change said as a band played an upbeat song during Sunday service. He watched Saturday afternoon as police fired tear gas and then was out on Sunday morning to help clean up Alondra Boulevard. He understands that some people may have got out of hand during the protest but believes that people who were outside the business park simply wanted answers. 'And we still don't know what's going to happen next,' he said. 'I'm pleased and shocked to see people here today,' he said about Sunday service. 'There's a real unknowing feeling. God is good. Paramount is good.'
