EEOC v. Costco Wholesale Corporation

**EEOC v. Costco: Court Rules Employer Must Address Customer Harassment** This case involved a Costco employee who was being stalked and harassed by a customer while at work. The employee claimed that Costco failed to adequately protect her from this customer's behavior, creating a hostile work environment that violated federal employment laws. The court ruled in favor of the employee and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). A jury found that Costco had indeed allowed a hostile work environment to exist by not taking sufficient action to stop the customer harassment. The appeals court agreed that a reasonable jury could reach this conclusion based on the evidence. However, the court sent part of the case back to the lower court to determine whether the employee should receive back pay for time she took off work for medical reasons related to the harassment. This ruling is important for workers because it confirms that employers have a legal duty to protect employees from harassment by customers, not just by coworkers or supervisors. If your employer knows about customer harassment and fails to take reasonable steps to stop it, they may be held legally responsible for creating a hostile work environment.