Fujitsu Worker Files Sexual Harassment Suit : Employment: Woman alleges that her supervisor repeatedly made inappropriate comments to her at the company’s office in Irvine.
A female employee of Fujitsu Computer Products of America has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against the company and two of her supervisors.
The suit alleges that the woman’s direct supervisor repeatedly made inappropriate sexual comments to her at the company’s Irvine office and engaged in embarrassing and offensive acts, such as showing her nude pictures of his wife.
Sheila Rae O’Bryen also alleges that her supervisor, George Turajlich, and Turajlich’s supervisor, Robert Rafalovich, later discriminated against her when she confronted them on the subject, causing her humiliation, nightmares, loss of sleep, embarrassment and frustration. The suit asks for unspecified damages and relief from the discrimination.
“It was blatant,” said Michelle A. Reinglass, a Laguna Hills lawyer who filed the suit last week in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana. “It’s inappropriate to show sexually explicit or embarrassing photos in the workplace because it is going to make people feel uncomfortable.”
Reinglass said the suit was not prompted by the publicity surrounding allegations that Supreme Court nominee Judge Clarence Thomas made unwanted sexual advances to Anita Faye Hill, a former employee at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
O’Bryen, who still works as a Fujitsu sales representative, does not allege that Turajlich made sexual advances toward her. But she said that his alleged initial actions and subsequent discrimination constituted harassment.
She alleges in the suit that Rafalovich ignored her repeated reports about Turajlich’s behavior and became subject to further discrimination, including negative performance reviews. Through a company spokesman, both Turajlich and Rafalovich declined to be interviewed for this story.
David Gould, a spokesman for Fujitsu America Inc. in San Jose, the parent of Fujitsu Computer Products, declined to comment specifically on the suit. He said the company has a policy promoting a discrimination- and harassment-free workplace and training programs to educate supervisors about the policy.
Fujitsu America is owned by Tokyo-based Fujitsu Ltd., one of the world’s largest telecommunications and computer companies.
The lawsuit is one of a small number filed in Orange County courts each year. For the 12 months ended June 30, there were 477 sex discrimination complaints filed with the Santa Ana office of the state Department of Fair Employment and Housing, including 139 cases of sexual harassment.
Most discrimination cases are settled out of court, with maybe 10% actually becoming lawsuits, said Richard Watkins, a statistician for the state agency. The number of complaints compares to 452 general complaints a year earlier in the Santa Ana office, including 128 cases of harassment. Statewide figures also show a steady increase in harassment complaints.
In the Fujitsu lawsuit, O’Bryen said she had performed well as a computer products sales representative. She said she received good performance evaluations, commendations and awards until 2 1/2 years ago when she encountered a pattern of discriminatory conduct and sexual harassment.
From late 1989 through early 1990, Turajlich allegedly showed O’Bryen and her customers pictures of his wife in varying degrees of undress, wearing negligees and bathing suits.
O’Bryen said she complained about the behavior to Fujitsu management, and she immediately began to suffer retaliation, including a poor performance review in June, 1990, and a written warning on Aug. 1 about what her supervisor called declining performance.
She alleges she was passed over for a promotion and her sales territory was expanded “beyond a reasonable capacity.” She alleges that, although she achieved her sales quotas, she was rated as “effective but declining.”
Later O’Bryen was accused of writing an anonymous letter to upper management about her supervisor’s alleged poor treatment of women. She denied writing the letter in the suit.
Turajlich on several occasions suggested that O’Bryen should not be a working mother and should instead remain home with her children, the suit alleges.
In August, 1990, the supervisor allegedly gave her a requirement for an 89% sales quota increase, while others in the office were given 25% to 30% increase requirements. The supervisor also tried to get O’Bryen fired by soliciting complaints from her customers, the suit alleges.
O’Bryen also filed a discrimination and sexual harassment complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing in August, 1991.
