CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County woman says she was unlawfully fired after a co-worker resigned and reported their boss for alleged sexual harassment.
Jamie Hypes filed a lawsuit April 4 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Pierson Refrigeration Services Inc., doing business as Pierson Technical Services, alleging sexual harassment and unlawful termination.
According to the complaint, after Hypes began working for Pierson in the fall of 2015 as a dispatcher, she became the target of unwanted sexual advances from its president, Franklin Pierson. The suit says the harassment included verbal and text messages with sexual content and unwanted touching. In early January of 2016, the plaintiff states that a co-worker who was similarly harassed resigned and complained to human resources, after which Hypes was terminated.
Hypes seeks a jury trial and punitive and compensatory damages, including back pay and benefits, reinstatement or front pay, and litigation costs. She is represented by attorneys Stephen B. Farmer and Matthew H. Nelson of Farmer, cline & Campbell PLLC in Morgantown.
Judge Louis H. “Duke” Bloom is assigned to the case.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case number 16-C-492