Four members of the board at Hewlett-Packard Co. will step down in the wake of the company’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint involving it’s former CEO, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Our Orange County sexual harassment attorneys are frequently called to handle cases in which employees face illegal workplace harassment. While we have made strides as a society, women and minorities are unfortunately subjected to workplace harassment and discrimination far too often.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission reported job bias complaints hit a record-high of nearly 100,000 in 2010, including 29,029 based on sex and 35,890 based on race.
When it comes to sexual harassment, the EEOC handled 11,717 cases and collected nearly $50 million. A little more than 16 percent of those cases were filed by men.
Hewlett-Packard’s board forced its former CEO to resign amid allegations of sexual harassment and expense-account abuses. The case stems from allegations by an independent contractor that the CEO sexually harassed her and falsified expense reports to cover up a relationship.
Among the incoming board members is Meg Whitman, the former CEO of EBay and losing candidate in last fall’s California governor’s race.
The Times reports the ouster of the board members is largely the result of the perception of rash decision making — The CEO was forced to resign despite HP’s determination that he did not violate the company’s sexual harassment policy.
The company then attempted to sue to prevent him from becoming co-president or rival tech firm Oracle Corp.
If you need to speak to an employment attorney in Los Angeles about an issue of discrimination, sexual harassment, wage dispute, or a violation of worker’s rights, contact the Employment Law Team for a confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call (877) 529-4545. Serving Santa Ana, Ontario, Riverside and the entire Los Angeles area.