Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Indiana Bell Telephone Co., Inc., D/B/A Ameritech Indiana, and Ameritech Corp.

**Sexual Harassment Case Against Phone Company Gets Second Chance** This case involved sexual harassment claims against Indiana Bell Telephone Company (Ameritech). The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the company on behalf of workers who alleged they faced a hostile work environment due to sexual harassment at their workplace. Initially, a jury ruled in favor of the workers and against Ameritech. However, the company appealed this decision to a higher court. In August 2000, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the jury's verdict. The appeals court found that the original trial had significant problems with evidence handling and jury instructions - meaning the judge may have allowed improper evidence or given incorrect guidance to the jury about the law. Rather than dismissing the case entirely, the appeals court sent it back to the lower court for a new trial. This gave the workers another opportunity to prove their sexual harassment claims against their employer. **What This Means for Workers:** Even when you win a workplace harassment case, employers can challenge the verdict on appeal. However, procedural errors during trial don't necessarily kill your case - courts may order new trials to ensure fairness. This shows the importance of having experienced legal representation to properly present evidence and follow court procedures in harassment cases.