$800,000 Jury Verdict ($500,000 for sexual harassment and $300,000 for TITLE VII cap; plus six figures in costs and attorney fees

Plaintiff Corliss worked as a boat salesman until he was terminated. Corliss asserts that he was a victim of sexual harassment. He was shown and told to watch a rape scene from the movie ‘Deliverance” as part of his orientation. It was suggested by his manager that if he did not sell enough boats, he could possibly be raped and subjected to the treatment as the rape victims in the movie. His immediate supervisor repeatedly subjected him to various sexual requests from is manager. Corliss was also ridiculed by management and co-workers for being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints(LDS) and subjected to jokes about his underwear and religious practices.

Robert Larson, Jr (son and corporate officer) of the then owner, testified that since age 16 he participated in an activity where objects were thrown at the groins of male management employees. Witnesses corroborated Plaintiff’s allegations. All defendants admitted that cursing at the workplace was common. 

The jury found that the acts of the defendants constituted sexual harassment, religious discrimination, retaliation and a hostile working environment. At the time, Robert Larson Automotive Group grossed over $64,000,000 a year at the time of trial.