On November 25, 2025, the EEOC announced a lawsuit it filed against Anthony Roofing Tecta America LLC and Tecta America Corporation, roofing services providers in Illinois and nationwide. The EEOC alleged violations of Title VII - race and sex harassment - at their Aurora, Illinois location.
The EEOC alleges a company vice president repeatedly used racial slurs, including the N-word, and called a Black employee his "slave," causing the employee to quit after the company failed to stop the behavior.
Other Black employees were allegedly harassed by supervisors and coworkers through racial slurs, being called "boy," and other offensive comments.
The same vice president allegedly sexually harassed female employees with offensive comments about oral sex, derogatory remarks about their bodies, and unwelcomed sex-based questions.
Employees allegedly reported the harassment to Anthony Roofing management and to Tecta America's human resources department, but the harassment continued.
The EEOC filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act after trying to resolve the matter through conciliation.
Source: https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-sues-anthony-roofing-and-tecta-america-corporation-race-and-sex-harassment
Commentary
The EEOC alleges that employees reported race and sex harassment to management and human resources, yet the offensive conduct persisted, leading to federal litigation.
Human resource personnel are central to preventing and correcting unlawful harassment. HR should:
- Maintain clear written anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies that explicitly prohibit racial slurs, sexual comments, and other offensive conduct.
- Provide multiple reporting channels (HR, hotlines, email, online portals) and communicate them regularly to all employees.
- Ensure timely, impartial investigations of all complaints, regardless of the accuser or the accused person's position.
- Document every complaint, investigation step, witness interview, and outcome, including corrective actions.
- Recommend and monitor appropriate discipline, up to and including termination, when harassment is substantiated.
- Track patterns of complaints by location, department, and supervisor to identify systemic problems.
- Deliver regular training tailored for managers and employees, emphasizing examples of race and sex harassment.
- Consult outside counsel for advice.
The final takeaway for HR is that effective policies, prompt investigations, and consistent corrective action are essential to preventing and managing harassment.
