IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - One of the nation's largest trucking companies has settled a closely watched sexual harassment lawsuit for $50,000, but it could try to recoup millions of dollars in legal fees.
CRST Van Expedited agreed in a Friday settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay the lone female driver remaining in what had been a class-action case the EEOC filed in 2007.
The agency once sought relief for up to 270 women who were allegedly harassed by male instructors or drivers for the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based company. But a federal appeals court ruled that the EEOC erred by filing the lawsuit before it identified every affected worker, investigated their claims and sought informal settlements.
That ruling made it harder for the agency to bring class-action lawsuits in several states.
