LEWISBURG — A Greenbrier County woman and former employee says Great American Barrel Company discriminated against her and wrongfully terminated her employment.
WVGBC Audrina Mill LLC, Sheldon Sears, Ricky Edwards and Phillip "Phil" Cornett were all named as defendants in the suit.
WVGBC Audrina Mill is doing business as Great American Barrel Company and Audrina Mill.
Sears, Edwards and Cornett are managers, operators and/or owners of WVGBC.
Mary Kristine Oliver was employed by WVGBC until April 1, 2022, according to a complaint filed in Greenbrier Circuit Court.
Oliver claims during her employment, Sears asked her to come to his personal home to clean and make some extra money and at his home, the two had sex and continued the sexual relationship for several weeks.
Oliver then began to get harassed by Sears and Work, as he wanted to touch her at work in a sexual manner and she did not wish to be touched at work and made it known it was not appropriate at work, however, he did not stop.
In March 2022, a handwritten letter from Sears to Oliver fell out of Sears' pocket and was discovered by other employees and a meeting was held regarding the discovery of a manager having sex with an employee, according to the suit.
Oliver claims the defendant transferred Oliver to a sister company with the same name. She was told nothing would change and only that she would be transferred, however, the new position required significantly more commuting time and she was paid $5 per hour less than her previous position. She was also stripped of paid time off and told she was a new hire on probation.
Oliver claims she was forced to resign. She claims the defendants violated the West Virginia Human Rights Act and caused her damages.
Oliver is seeking payment of economic damages, including her PTO time, fees and damages, for her wrongful termination and constructive discharge, along with compensatory and punitive damages. She is represented by D. Adrian Hoosier II of Hoosier Law Firm in Charleston.
Greenbrier Circuit Court case number: 23-C-46