The fact that an employer’s business is the sale of sexually oriented merchandise — marketed in a “sexually charged atmosphere” not deemed objectionable by its female employees or customers — gave it no special cover from claims of sex harassment and retaliation.
The Appellate Division on Monday upheld a $650,000 jury verdict to a saleswoman who claimed she was fired after four years at East Coast News Corp., a wholesaler of adult sexual products, in retaliation for complaining to management about a co-worker’s conduct.
