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Former Dutch Miller employee says she was sexually harassed at work

WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

Friday, November 22, 2024

Former Dutch Miller employee says she was sexually harassed at work

State Court
Sexualassaultabuse

CHARLESTON – A former employee says she was sexually harassed while working at Dutch Miller of Charleston.

Carrie Cook filed her complaint March 24 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Dutch Miller of Charleston, Roger Wood, Chad Buck and Jacob Rollo.

According to her complaint, Cook was a 38-year-old single mother shopping for a vehicle at the car dealer in June 2021 when she was approached by sales manager Jake Rollo, who offered her a sales position. She says she later learned Rollo had told another sales associate he hired Cook “so he could have sex with her.”

“Upon starting work … Cook was immediately exposed to a hypersexualized, degrading work environment where both female employees and Ms. Cook were targets,” the complaint states. “For months, Ms. Cook witnessed defendant Rollo and other male sales associates body shame and degrade female customers.

“Cook eventually became the focus of defendant Rollo’s sexual harassment as he frequently embarrassed her in front of other employees and managers by making sexual comments about her body parts, asking her if she moaned during sex and routinely talked about sexual topics. …

“The main topics of conversation at Dutch Miller among employees were cars and sex.”

She says male employees blatantly disrespected female customers. Some examples of the comments Rollo and other male employees made about female customers included, “Wow, she’s fat,” “Man, she’s ugly” and “She looks like a busted can of biscuits.” 

Cook says Rollo made sexualized comments about customers he found attractive and often joked about having sex with female customers.

When a former girlfriend of one sales associate came in to buy a vehicle, she says Rollo took her for a long test drive. He then texted the associate and told him he was going to have sex with the customer. When they returned, the associate angrily confronted Rollo. The customer became upset and left, according to the complaint.

Rollo then asked Cook to do what she could to not “lose the deal.” She says she arranged to take the woman on a test drive, during which she expressed her appreciation to Cook. When Cook closed the sale, her first, Rollo promised the customer free vehicle alterations to ensure she wouldn’t report his conduct.

Cook also say male employees continued communications with female customers long after the sale “to groom them into sending the sales associates sexually explicit photographs” that then were shared among the male employees. Some of them even had sex with female former customers and would “openly gloat about their sexual conquests” even to Cook.

Cook says Rollo chided her about her age and told her she’d get more sales if she didn’t dress like a prude or “a librarian.” Other times, she says Rollo told her how attractive she was in a particular outfit.

Within a month of starting working there, Cook says Rollo’s comments turned to sexual advances.

“He asked Ms. Cook if she would be willing to have sex to get an easy car sale,” the complaint states. “On one occasion, Ms. Cook was shadowing another male sales associate …

“The male customer asked while in Ms. Cook’s presence, ‘Does she come with the car?’ The male sales associate laughed and said, ‘Well, everything has a price.’”

Cook says Rollo and other male employees tried to get her to engage in the sexual banter, but she refused.

“During one exchange, in front of several sales associates, defendant Rollo asked Ms. Cook if her vagina was ‘an innie or an outie,’” the complaint states. “Rollo openly asked Ms. Cook in front of her coworkers, ‘What are you like in bed?’ He then clarified, ‘You know, are you loud, do you move?’ He then said, ‘I bet you shake hands when you’re done.’”

She says Wood and Buck, both managers, knew of Rollo’s conduct but refused to take any action even though she and another male employee reported his conduct.

On September 22, 2021, Cook says Rollo refused to let her go to lunch because they were busy “even though there were not any customers present.”

“After a time, defendant Rollo told Ms. Cook that she could go to lunch if she would stick her two fingers in some cheese dip “and suck it off.”

She says she had no choice but to leave the job.

Cook accuses the defendants of violating the West Virginia Human Right Act by having a hostile work environment and for sexual harassment. She also accuses them of retaliation and constructive discharge. She also accuses Buck and Wood of aiding and abetting.

She says she suffered loss of dignity, embarrassment, humiliation, aggravation and emotional distress.

Cook seeks compensatory damages for past and future lost wages and benefits, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney fees, court costs and other relief.

She is being represented by Rodney Smith and Alex Urban of Rod Smith Law in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Tera Salango.

Kanawha Circuit Court case number 22-C-225

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