Local News in Brief : Woman Awarded $70,000

The state’s civil rights agency awarded $70,000 Thursday to a female employee of Rockwell International Corp. in El Segundo in a sexual harassment case, and said employers would be held responsible for harassment by co-workers that was not promptly investigated and punished.

“The ultimate test in every case . . . will be whether the employer has acted promptly, vigorously and visibly and has demonstrated that it strongly disapproves of sexual harassment and will not tolerate it in the workplace,” said the Fair Employment and Housing Commission.

The commission said that Rockwell, after a sexual harassment complaint by an engineering draftswoman, conducted a half-hearted investigation that fell far short of the required standards and showed a “willingness to tolerate rather than eliminate and prevent sexual harassment.”

The woman, Beulah Dexter, was awarded $20,000 for emotional distress and $50,000 in punitive damages.

A Rockwell spokesman declined comment.