On Aug. 5, an office worker who claimed that her boss subjected her to myriad instances of sexual harassment during her five months of employment was awarded $868,000. In 2006, Lynda Beck worked for Guardian Leasing Inc. in Houston. Beck claimed that her boss, who was the vice president, made sexually suggestive gestures with his tongue and put his hands on her. The last straw, she said, was when he fell to his knees, rubbed and sniffed her leg, and asked her, “Do you shave it?” She said she told him to “get the hell out” of her office, and she complained to the owner. Beck said she was fired after a one-day investigation. The company claimed she was fired for poor job performance. Of the award, $750,000 was for punitives.
Beck v. Guardian Leasing Inc., No. 2008-39653
