Mentor — A bombshell lawsuit has been filed against the global healthcare company STERIS Corporation, headquartered in Mentor. The suit comes from a former employee who claims she was sexually harassed for years, despite complaining to her supervisor.
But this isn't just any female employee. I'm told this is the first female technical instructor hired by the company since it was founded more than a century ago. And the alleged harassment happened way before the “Me Too” movement when companies seemed to finally open their eyes to these problems.
But for the woman in question, that's still no excuse.
"I want to be known for what I do and not what was done to me" says Jackie Adams.
And she has done quite a lot: Named on the “Forty under Forty” list by Crain's Cleveland; Winning the IEEE Entrepreneurial Achievement Award out of 200,000 candidates; honored with The Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts.
Jackie also founded Tareto Maa USA, which educates against female genital cutting and supports their girls' shelter in Kenya.
So it’s no surprise she was hired by the STERIS Corporation in Mentor as the first female instructor training tech to service medical equipment.
What was surprising was the lack of respect she says came with that role. "I felt objectified by my colleagues. I was harassed and when I spoke up for myself I was told to grow a sense of humor," Adams told us.
For four and a half years Jackie claims she was sexually harassed.
It’s all detailed in a lawsuit we obtained and posted below, which describes:
- A manager who told a joke about rape in class.
- A co-worker who sang a song about a sex act during a training course.
- And how she was called a "stripper" and the “B” word in front of colleagues.
Lawsuit filed by Jackie Adams against STERIS by WKYC.com on Scribd
The manager handled the issue on a case-by-case basis, and Adams says she was told "boys will be boys" as she detailed in an email to STERIS' President and CEO.
"I guess the disappointment for me was twofold. One, that I was treated that way in a corporate workplace and two, that I didn't feel protected by management," she explained.
And as someone who's spent her life fighting for the rights of women, it was only then she says, that she hired an attorney.
"I honestly thought that when they found out the whole situation, and everything I had gone through, that they would be embarrassed and want to change their policies,” she said.
Steris declined an interview because of the lawsuit, but told me the company disputes the allegations and is focused on preparing for trial.
Late Tuesday, a judge ruled that the trial will go forward in September.