WINFIELD — A former employee is suing Healthcare Services Group East for sexual harassment by a supervisor.
Craig Hart was also named as a defendant in the suit.
Troie Hayes was employed by Healthcare Services as a cook in the Teays Valley Center and Hart was her supervisor, according to a complaint filed in Putnam Circuit Court.
Hayes claims Hart repeatedly made several unwanted sexual advances toward her, including rubbing his penis against her buttocks and attempting to grab her breasts.
"Defendant Hart's unlawful conduct also included numerous unwelcomed sexual comments," the complaint states.
Hayes claims after reporting the conduct to the defendant, they did nothing about the conduct and she had no choice but to quit her job on Nov. 11, 2020.
Hayes claims the defendants violated the West Virginia Human Rights Act. She claims she began working for the defendants on Nov. 5, 2020, and within two days of beginning her employment, Hart started making inappropriate and unlawful sexual comments about how good she looked and that "he couldn't wait to get her alone."
"Later this same day, Defendant Hart attempted to lure Ms. Hayes into the cooler after commenting that the other employees were not in the room," the complaint states. "Later that same day, Ms. Hayes had no choice but to go into the cooler to retrieve food. While Ms. Hayes bent over to pick up food, Defendant Hart rubbed his penis against her buttocks."
Hayes claims Hart then reached around her and attempted to grab her breasts and Hayes was so shocked she left work early.
When Hayes was at work on Nov. 9, 2020, Hart again sexually harassed her and on Nov. 10, 2020, he sent her multiple sexually explicit text messages asking her to engage in sexual acts with her, according to the suit.
Hayes claims she felt unsafe and even though she reported the incidents, Hart was not disciplined and the following day she quit her job.
Hayes is seeking compensatory damages. She is represented by Rodney A. Smith and M. Alex Urban of Rod Smith Law in Charleston.
The defendant is represented by Julie A. Moore and Alyssa L. Lazar of Bowles Rice in Morgantown.
Putnam Circuit Court case number: 22-C-137
