Camille Olson Quoted in Chicago Tribune

“Judge’s Ruling May Be Setback in Sexual Harassment Cases”

Camille Olson was quoted in the article, “Judge’s Ruling May Be Setback in Sexual Harassment Cases,” published in the October 26, 2007 issue of the Chicago Tribune. The article examines the October 23 ruling by Chicago-based U. S. District Judge Joan Gottschall that held that proof of an overall hostile work environment is not enough to make an employer liable for punitive damages in a class-action lawsuit, which runs against precedent in lawsuits brought against Mitsubishi Motors and Dial Corp. in Illinois.

Camille notes that with Judge Gottschall’s ruling, “You’ve got to prove individual damages from the beginning and that changes the leverage in the case… The EEOC is used to doing things on a class-wise basis as opposed to individualized damages.” Camille, who represented Dial after the Mitsubishi decision, further noted that tying punitive damages to overall conduct rather than individual instances of harassment gave the EEOC a hammer to hold over employees.