Owners of Jefferson City hotel to pay $45,000 to settle sexual harassment case

EDITOR'S NOTE: A reference to a company that was dismissed from the case has been removed.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The owners of the DoubleTree Hotel will have to pay $45,000 to a woman who worked there after settling a sexual harassment lawsuit.

The settlement approved in federal court on Monday says that hotel owners Vinca Enterprises, Inc. will have to pay the woman within 15 days of the order.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against the company in February alleging a male employee had harassed female workers.

The company denies the allegations and the settlement is not an admission of guilt, according to a federal document outlining the settlement's terms.

The lawsuit claimed the hotel owners knew of the male employee's behavior and did nothing to stop it.

The settlement also requires the hotel owners to hire a consultant to review policies, practices and training regarding harassment and to keep records of reports of workplace harassment. Those reports will be submitted to the EEOC.

The company is also prohibited from employing two men named in the settlement.