Supervisor Must Pay Discrimination Damages for Sexual Assault of Worker

A supervisor in charge of a carpet installation operation on a cruise ship sexually assaulted a male member of his team while in his bunk. The worker quit and sued the company and supervisor for sex discrimination. After apparently settling with the company, the worker won a $33,300 damage award against the supervisor, including $8,300 in lost wages and $25,000 for injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect. The assault was sexual in nature, unwelcome and had a negative impact on the worker’s employment, the BC Human Rights Tribunal concluded [Ban v. MacMillan, 2021 BCHRT 74 (CanLII), June 3, 2021] [Editor’s Note: While $33,300 may not sound like much for sexual assault, keep in mind that the discrimination damages are in addition to the supervisor’s potential criminal liability and liability for civil assault.]