ST. LOUIS –– A Kansas-based company faces a federal gender discrimination lawsuit by a former employee.
Karen Schulte, who worked as a Service Coordinator for C&C Sales, filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, alleging violations of her civil rights.
Schulte claims C&C Sales supervisors and co-workers harassed her repeatedly, forcing her to eventually resign after she could not take the negative workplace atmosphere any longer.
The plaintiff is a former employee and resident of Missouri.
According to the complaint, the problems began after she was promoted to service manager. A male colleague allegedly told her she was a “woman in a man’s position.” Schulte claims she reported the harassment to the general manager, who guaranteed he would handle it. Instead, Schulte claims, things only got worse.
Schulte claims reporting the harassing behavior made her supervisors treat her differently, such as difficulty asking for time off or negative reviews. In one e-mail, she says, she was referred to as "accounting chic."
Schulte alleges she was stripped of many of her responsibilities except those considered “woman’s work,” such as helping out in accounts receivable.
In the complaint, Schulte describes her breaking point as being told she did not need to attend a meeting because it would be “just the guys."
She has requested compensatory damages including emotional pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and mental anguish, as well as punitive damages and attorney fees.