Opinion ID: 202751
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Alleged Harassment and Discrimination at Merck-Mexico

Text: 4 Torres alleges that from her first day at work in Mexico, she endured continuous harassment and discrimination. She claims that her colleagues at Merck-Mexico made negative and harassing comments about her gender, her U.S. citizenship, her U.S. salary, and her Puerto Rican accent. In 2001, Torres was reassigned within Merck-Mexico to Ricardo Spinola's business unit. Torres claims that things became worse for her under Spinola's supervision because of his derogatory comments about her being a Puerto Rican woman. When Torres complained to Spinola that he was harassing her and threatened to report him to Merck & Co.'s headquarters in New Jersey, he allegedly warned her that if she did so, she would face the consequences. Torres claims that as a result of this harassment, she began suffering headaches, hypertension, and anxiety. 5 Throughout her tenure in Mexico, Torres had constant contact with Merck-PR. Three times a year, she participated in meetings that included representatives from Merck-PR, and in August 2001, Torres spent a week in Merck-PR's offices on a temporary assignment to assist in relaunching a product. Torres never complained about her work environment in Merck-Mexico during these visits.