Workplace harassment is something that no person should have to go through, especially when it’s coming from customers at your place of work.
NBC News reports that a New Jersey jury has ordered PNC Bank to pay Damara Scott $2.4 million after it found they failed to protect her from sexual harassment by a customer. In October 2013, when Scott was leaving work she was followed to her car by Patrick Pignatello. He began verbally assaulting her before grinding into her backside.
Pignatello had a history of harassing black women at the bank and the jury ruled that PNC Bank failed to protect Scott despite knowing of this history. Even after the assault took place the bank took no action to ban him from the location. Scott was an employee at PNC for almost a decade before she quit. She had prior experiences with abuse and the assault resulted in her suffering from PTSD. PNC Bank said in a statement that it was disappointed with the ruling and planned to appeal.
This is yet another example of how black women are the least protected group in America. The man had a history of harassing black women at this location and they failed to take any kind of action. They really have no right being “disappointed” by the ruling. Had they just taken the proper steps to begin with, Scott wouldn’t have been put in this situation. The fact that they didn’t even make an effort to ban him after the assault took place just makes the whole thing that much worse.
Money can’t undo the trauma but I hope this provides Scott with some closure and that she can fully heal from the incident.