Opinion ID: 183231
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Delayed and Inadequate Response

Text: An employer may be liable for a hostile work environment created by employees when the employer does not promptly and adequately respond to employee harassment. Porter v. Erie Foods Int'l, Inc., 576 F.3d 629, 636 (7th Cir.2009). Sutherland argues Walmart's response to her allegations was neither prompt nor adequate. Walmart's investigation was sufficiently prompt. Despite Sutherland's assertion that Walmart waited almost three days to begin its investigation, the record reveals that it began its investigation the day it received Sutherland's complaint by interviewing Sutherland and fellow deli employee Templeton. Walmart went on to interview several other deli employees before confronting Aguas on the day he returned from vacation. Walmart did not question Aguas immediately after learning of Sutherland's accusation because company policy for investigating harassment provides that management should confront the alleged harasser only after acquiring all information available from other sources. Walmart conducted a prompt investigation in compliance with company policy. Accordingly, Walmart is not liable for failure to promptly investigate Sutherland's claims. While promptness is a virtue, an employer must also provide an appropriate response to an employee's complaints of harassment. Lapka v. Chertoff, 517 F.3d 974, 984 (7th Cir.2008). To avoid liability, the employer must respond in a manner reasonably likely to end the harassment. Porter, 576 F.3d at 637. We do not ignore hindsight, but the ultimate question is whether the response was likely to succeed ex ante. See id. (There is no question that a stoppage of harassment shows effectiveness.. . . However, this is not the sole factor to be considered. (internal quotation marks omitted)). Sutherland argues Walmart should have responded more forcefully to her accusationsit should have fired Aguas or at least separated Aguas and Sutherland by a distance greater than 80 feet. But the steps Walmart failed to take are only relevant if the steps it actually took were not reasonably likely to end the harassment. Id. We have previously held that, in some circumstances, creating physical separation and minimizing time worked together are steps reasonably likely to end harassment. See Roby v. CWI, Inc., 579 F.3d 779, 786 (7th Cir.2009) (concluding that reprimanding harasser and reworking schedule to avoid leaving harasser and plaintiff alone together were more than reasonable responses); Berry v. Delta Airlines, Inc., 260 F.3d 803, 806, 813 (7th Cir.2001) (holding that employer had responded reasonably to accusations of harassment when the employer arranged harasser's and plaintiff's schedules so they would only work together 90 minutes each day, even though plaintiff and harasser often had contact during this time). Walmart's responses herereprimanding Aguas, limiting overlap between Aguas's and Sutherland's schedules, and reassigning Sutherland to the meat wall when she and Aguas were both scheduled to work in the deliwere reasonably likely to end Aguas's harassment. As it turned out, Aguas did not further harass Sutherland. Rather, Aguas intentionally avoided Sutherland after being reprimanded. Sutherland argues that, because of Walmart's notice of a prior complaint against Aguas, Walmart should be held to a higher standard than other employers who receive complaints of harassment. In other words, because Walmart had notice that Aguas was potentially dangerous, it should have believed her complaint and taken more drastic remedial measures. Assuming Walmart had notice of Mullins's complaint from 2003 or 2004, Walmart's response was still adequate. Mullins complained that Aguas gave her unwelcome attention and an unwelcome gift and card. Knowledge of this past complaint should not have made Walmart suspicious of Aguas's initial statementthat he hugged Sutherland, touched her face, and gave her a card. While Mullins's complaint may have put Walmart on notice that Aguas was likely to engage in inappropriate workplace behavior, it did not give notice that Aguas was likely to engage in the degree of inappropriate behavior namely, sexual assaultSutherland described in her complaint.