DETROIT — Davis Cartage Co., a transportation, warehousing and logistics company headquartered in Corunna, Michigan, violated federal law by allowing its president of logistics to sexually harass two female employees at its Owosso, Michigan location, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, in 2023, the president of logistics, who is also on the board of directors and part owner of the company, passed over more qualified applicants to hire two young women whose photos he found on social media. He then subjected both women to harassing and possessive behavior, including regular comments on their appearance and dress; trying to discuss their personal lives; telling them they owed him for overlooking their criminal histories; inviting one or both to stay at his cabin, to go out drinking or to stay in his hotel room; closely monitoring them with the company cameras while they performed clerical work; and leaning over within inches of them at their desks.

The suit also alleges Davis Cartage knew of the executive’s sexually harassing conduct and failed to correct it. In 2020, Davis Cartage received a complaint from a female employee who alleged that he had been sexually harassing her for years. The company performed a perfunctory investigation, protected the executive, and failed to take remedial action. Thereafter, he continued to openly engage in sexually inappropriate behavior.

“Employers cannot prioritize protecting a company executive over protecting its employees from sexual harassment,” said Kenneth Bird, regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office. “Davis Cartage’s decision to ignore the president of logistics’ behavior and allow him to continue to harass female employees working for him violated federal law.”

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Davis Cartage Co., Case No. 2:26-cv-13657) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process. The EEOC is seeking compensatory damages and punitive damages on behalf of the two employees, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination.

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and parts of Ohio.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov.