Please join us on Thursday, February 12 th at 4:30 PM at Segal Roitman, 111 Devonshire Street, Fifth Floor, Boston to celebrate and learn about the recent trial victory of MELA's own Robert S. Mantell, Esq. and Lori A. Jodoin, Esq. of Rodgers, Powers & Schwartz LLP. Rob and Lori will share their experience trying a two-week sexual harassment case in Middlesex Superior Court, what did and did not work, their strategy with witnesses, evidentiary battles, and how they dealt with post-trial motions. The following is a description of their case:
PLAINTIFF WINS $540,000 JURY VERDICT IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT CASE AGAINST CAR DEALERSHIP
On December 19, 2014, after a two-week trial, a Middlesex Superior Court jury returned a verdict in favor of the Plaintiff on her claim for hostile work environment based on sex and gender, brought pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 151B. Plaintiff obtained awards of $40,000.00 in emotional distress damages, and $500,000.00 in punitive damages, for a total of $540,000.00. The case is Emma Gyulakian v. Lexus of Watertown, Inc. and Post Motors, Inc., d/b/a Lexus of Watertown, Middlesex Superior Court Civil Action No. 2013-00117-D. The Plaintiff was represented by Robert S. Mantell, Esq. and Lori A. Jodoin, Esq. of Rodgers, Powers & Schwartz LLP in Boston.
For almost 9 years, Plaintiff Emma Gyulakian worked for Lexus of Watertown, starting out as a receptionist and working her way up to Finance Manager, where she earned six figures in a job that paid no salary, just commissions. She became the only female Finance Manager and the top performer in the Finance Department, succeeding in a male dominated car dealership and outperforming her older, more experienced male colleagues.
During the final 18 months of her almost 9 year career at the car dealership, she was sexually harassed by her direct supervisor, a Finance Director, who engaged in a variety of offensive behaviors, including making many crude references to the female body, requests for sexual contact, throwing coins at Plaintiff's chest, and improperly touching her, and indicating that he would continue doing so. Events escalated to the point where Plaintiff picked up the telephone and threatened to call the police, in fear of a physical assault by her supervisor while they were alone in the workplace. Defendant was on notice from a variety of sources that the workplace had become inappropriately sexualized, and that managerial employees were uttering demeaning comments about women.