Maine’s Human Rights Commission on Monday found that eight people who said they’d been discriminated against under Maine law had reasonable grounds for going forward with their cases.
The commission investigates complaints of unlawful discrimination in several spheres, including at work.
The commission found Shasta Roy had reasonable grounds for her hostile workplace and sexual harassment complaint against Theorore’s Seamless Gutters in Richmond.
Amy Snierson, executive director of the commission, says the owner texted Roy inappropriately and things got worse from there.
“And one day the complainant walked into the owner’s office, which was also his apartment, and saw him naked watching pornography,” she says. “The complainant told the owner that his behavior was unacceptable and offended her. She was actually fired and then a few days later two men were hired to replace her.”
The commission also found in favor of people complaining discrimination on the basis of age and disability at work, in housing and in retaliation for whistleblowing.
Findings aren’t legally binding, but they can become grounds for lawsuits. People complaining of discrimination are required to bring their case before the commission before going to court.
“The thinking is that courts would be overwhelmed if people filed directly with the court,” Snierson says. “And the theory is to weed out — to take a preliminary look at cases, and to weed out those that are meritorious. That’s the theory, in order to protect the courts from an onslaught of complaints.”
