State sues Brainerd printing company after supervisor repeatedly sexually harassed employees

The state's human rights department filed a lawsuit Thursday against a Brainerd printing company that alleges leadership failed to meaningfully stop a supervisor who was repeatedly sexually harassing two employees.

The suit asserts Sheridan, a commercial printing and book manufacturing company, violated the state's civil rights law.

The complaint was filed in Crow Wing County district court by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights and is signed by Attorney General Keith Ellison. It asks the company to revise its policies to prevent harassment, pay a fine and compensate the employees for mental anguish and suffering.

According to court documents, a supervisor at Sheridan, then called Bang Printing, began sexually harassing and assaulting two female employees in June 2020. This included regular unwelcome sexual advances, unwanted touching and offensive comments.

One of the employees filed a complaint against the supervisor in July 2020 but the company "failed to initiate an investigation, discipline the supervisor or put any measures in place to prevent further harassment from occurring. As a result, Sheridan allowed the sexual harassment and assault to continue," states a press release issued Thursday by the department. Shortly after, one of the employees quit, citing the continued harassment.

After hearing that the supervisor was promoted, the employee still working at the company submitted another complaint; Sheridan issued a verbal warning to the supervisor, documents state, but the harassment continued.

In May 2021, both employees filed charges of discrimination with the Human Rights Department, which notified the company of the complaints. The company then retained a third party to conduct an investigation and fired the supervisor, documents state.

The state filed the civil suit after attempts to resolve the case with Sheridan were unsuccessful. It wants the company to revise policies, submit compliance reports to the state and require employees to undergo training on sex discrimination and sexual harassment.

A representative from Sheridan did not respond to a request for comment.

"Sheridan knew a supervisor was sexually harassing and assaulting its employees and, through willful inaction, gave this supervisor a license to sexually harass its employees," Rebecca Lucero, commissioner of the Human Rights Department, said in the release. "There cannot be a meaningful end to sexual harassment when those who are in positions of power to end it deliberately do nothing."