EEOC Sues Chesterfield Valley Investors for Sexual Harassment

INDIANAPOLIS – Chesterfield Valley Investors, LLC, doing business as Gateway Classic Cars, violated federal law by subjecting a female employee to a hostile work environment because of her sex, the U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Gateway’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer (CFO/COO) subjected a female employee to unwelcome sexual conduct, advances and requests while she worked in Gateway’s Indianapolis showroom. The CFO/COO, who was one of the highest-ranking executives in the company, made repeated requests for nude pictures of the female employee for nearly a year and solicited the female employee to visit him in his hotel room. The female employee complained about this sexual harassment to Gateway’s Indianapolis showroom manager, but he discouraged her from complaining to Gateway’s human resources manager.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 1:24-cv-00721-MPB-TAB in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. In this case, the EEOC seeks compensatory and punitive damages for the employee. The EEOC also seeks injunctive relief, including an order barring Gateway from engaging in discriminatory treatment in the future. The EEOC also seeks to require Gateway to institute and carry out policies, practices and programs that provide equal employment opportunities for women, including a workplace free of sexual harassment, and eradicate the effects of its past and present unlawful employment practices.

“The EEOC is dedicated to ensuring that women are protected from unwelcome sexual conduct in their places of work,” said EEOC Indianapolis District Director Michelle Eisele.

Indianapolis District Office Regional Attorney Kenneth L. Bird said, “No employee should have to endure sexual harassment to earn a living. Sexual harassment is a form of discrimination and will not be tolerated.”

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.

The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office has jurisdiction over Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and parts of Ohio.

The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.