EEOC v International Profit Associates, Inc.
Female Employees Make Allegations of Extensive Sexual Harassment at International Profit Associates
A class action has been filed against business consulting service International Profit Associates, Inc. on behalf of current and former female employees who allege that they were her arrest sexually on the job in violation of federal civil rights laws. The action seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
Sworn depositions already collected by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) suggest that the harassing behavior came from the highest executives within the company, including IPA founder and chief executive officer John Burgess. The depositions allege physical and verbal harassment, sexually explicit comments, groping, and demands for sex in exchange for job benefits and cash.
Named plaintiff Marion G. Townson alleges that Burgess changed her compensation from salary to straight commission after she refused to go out on a date with him, effectively reducing her compensation to zero. She alleges that this and other occurrences worked together to constitute a pattern and practice of sexual and sex-based harassment. She also alleges that her employment was conditioned on her responses to requests for sex.
