WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CHARLESTON -- A former employee is suing NGK Spark Plug MFG., Inc. after she claims she was sexually harassed by other employees.

Manpower of WV, Inc. and Nancy Paxton were also named as defendants in the suit.

In December 2011, Jennifer Fields was employed by NGK through Manpower in NGK’s Sissonville plant, according to a complaint filed Sept. 4 in Kanawha Circuit Court.

Fields claims an employee of NGK, James Baker, made inappropriate comments to her and she reported the incident.

In April, another employee, Brian Brills, also began making inappropriate sexual comments to and around Fields, according to the suit.

Fields claims on April 24, she was called into a meeting with Paxton and two other employees and was asked about her complaints and Paxton said she would talk to the other girls in the building.

Later that evening, Fields received a phone call on her cell phone from a number she did not recognized, according to the suit, and when she returned the call, she was surprised when she learned the caller was Brills.

Fields claims Brills told her she was ruining his life and needed to drop her complaint. She claims he told her he had spoken to the other women who she had told Paxton about and that she had agreed to drop her complaint.

Prior to the call, Fields had never called nor had never been called on her cell phone by Brills and upon returning to work the next day, Fields was met at the entrance to the plant by Brills, who against advised her that she needed to drop the complaint and attempted to give her a hug, according to the suit.

Fields claims she refused to drop the complaint and instead spoke with Manpower about being reassigned.

Later, Fields began receiving harassing notes at her work station, ketchup and hot sauce were put all over her computer screen and hot sauce was put into one of her drinks, according to the suit.

Fields claims on May 13 she found out her employment was terminated.

The defendants created a hostile work environment and the defendants’ conduct violated the West Virginia Human Rights Act, according to the suit.

Fields is seeking compensatory and punitive damages with pre-judgment interest. She is being represented by Richard W. Walters and Brian L. Ooten.

The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Charles E. King.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 12-C-1784