Seattle Children's to pay $125K after sexual harassment investigation

Seattle Children's has agreed to pay $125,000 in damages and back pay, as well as other injunctive relief, to a former nurse.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday announced an investigation found evidence the nurse had been subjected to unwelcome sexual comments and a sexually charged atmosphere at work over the course of three months. According to the EEOC, the nurse notified Seattle Children's, but the hospital failed to act, and the harassment eventually forced the nurse to resign.

“Employers must protect workers from harassment and discrimination, even and especially when the persons doing the harassment are customers, patients, contractors or other third parties,” Elizabeth Cannon, director of the EEOC’s Seattle field office, said in a news release. “We applaud Seattle Children’s Hospital for participating in the conciliation process and collaborating with EEOC to bring about this resolution.”

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The parties conducted a pre-litigation process after the investigation. In addition to paying monetary damages, according to the release, Seattle Children's agreed to revise its non-discrimination policies, conduct employee training, and provide additional training to managers and staff involved in the investigation of employee complaints.

“Seattle Children’s takes compliance matters seriously and appreciates the EEOC’s partnership during the conciliation process to bring about a resolution,” a Seattle Children's spokesperson said in a statement.

The EEOC enforces federal employment discrimination laws. The Seattle field office oversees Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington.

Seattle Children's disclosed plans last June to lay off 1.5% of its staff, or about 135 roles, in what it termed a management restructure. The hospital is the 11th-largest hospital in the state of Washington by admissions, according to Business Journal research, with 14,862 admissions in 2022.