The former employee alleged that a male colleague “sat at a work station adjacent to her and would masturbate.”
New Braunfels technology company TaskUs Inc. has settled a federal lawsuit brought by a former employee who alleged it fired her for complaints she made about a male colleague’s lewd conduct in the workplace.
Brittany Lee, who is Black, said in her complaint that she was terminated in June 2022 in retaliation for reporting to supervisors and the company’s human resources department that an unidentified white employee “sat at a work station adjacent to her and would masturbate.” In a statement, TaskUs said the matter had been resolved “without any admission of wrongdoing.” “At TaskUs, we are committed to a culture where everyone is treated with respect and fairness,” it said. “We remain steadfast in upholding our values in every situation.” READ MORE: Ex-TaskUs employee alleges it fired her for complaining about colleague who engaged in ‘sexual acts’ Scott Behren, a Florida lawyer representing Lee, said he couldn’t discuss the case other than to say it has been resolved. “There is a confidentiality provision in place,” Behren said. He advised the U.S. District Court in San Antonio last week that that the case had been settled and the parties were finalizing settlement papers. In her complaint, Lee said she believed she was the only Black employees at the company’s San Antonio office, while the male colleague was friendly with supervisors. TaskUs disputed Lee’s take and had asked the court to issue a judgment in its favor. It described the male employee as Hispanic. Lee said her race and gender, along with the complaints she made, were factors in her termination. She sued for violations of Tittle VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race or gender. She also sued for retaliation under Title VII, which makes it illegal for an employer to take negative action against a person who complains about discrimination. Lee started at the company in July 2019, but her suit didn’t give any details on her job duties. She had sought compensatory damages, including for past and future pay, mental anguish and “loss of dignity.” She also requested an award of punitive damages. Early last year, TaskUs asked the court to compel arbitration and to dismiss the lawsuit. It argued that Lee had signed an “Alternative Dispute Resolution & Mutual Arbitration Agreement” as a condition of her employment. U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth “Betsy” Chestney, though, denied TaskUs’ motion. She found the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 rendered the arbitration agreement unenforceable. All three of Lee’s claims, for race discrimination, gender discrimination and retaliation, “are related to the underlying sexual harassment dispute — Ms. Lee’s termination for complaining about alleged sexual harassment based on a coworker’s conduct,” Chestney ruled in July. The case had been set to go to trial this December. TaskUs is is a provider of outsourced digital services, including customer support, content security, consulting and artificial intelligence operations. The publicly traded company earned almost $46 million on $995 million in record revenue last year. It had 59,000 employees as of the end of 2024.
New Braunfels U.S. District Court Brittany Lee Scott Behren Lee Black Elizabeth ``Betsy'' Chestney Tittle VII Title VII Hispanic San Antonio Florida U.S. Ending Forced Arbitration Of Sexual Assault Alternative Dispute Resolution Mutual Arbitration Agreement Civil Rights Act Of 1964 Sexual Harassment Act
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