EEOC Apple-Orchard Case Chopped Down By Washington Jury

After years of smash-mouth litigation, it was a clean sweep for a large agri-business employer this week in one of the EEOC’s highest profile cases of 2012-2013 - a full defense verdict on April 3, 2013 by a jury of seven men and two women in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington. The case - EEOC v. Evans Fruit, No. 10-CV-3033 (E.D. Wash.) - is a stunning defeat for the Commission. Evans Fruit was represented by a team from the top-rated Seattle/Yakima based Stokes Lawrence firm, later joined by Seyfarth Shaw as supporting strategic counsel. 

In EEOC v. Evans Fruit, the EEOC brought highly controversial and dramatic allegations against one of the nation’s largest apple producers, claiming that it tolerated a sexually hostile work environment. The Commission’s claim began with three female claimants alleging that certain co-workers made unwelcome sexual comments and advances. During the course of pre-trial discovery (and after a significant government “outreach” program including town-hall meetings with EEOC lawyers), the number of women claiming harassment swelled to 26. The defense team was able to cut the ranks of harassment claimants to 15 by trial.

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