By: Elizabeth Lopez

Elizabeth Williams was a fundraiser at Binghamton University. In March 2009, Williams filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that two senior officials with Binghamton’s athletic department encouraged her to flirt with potential donors with the hopes of attaining donations for the school. The suit also alleges department officials tried to use her as a sexual “plaything” to ply money from donors, and that university officials took punitive measures against her once she reported the harassment.

Williams has been with the university since 2008, and the athletic department since January. Her lawyer writes in the suit: “She discovered that her new bosses viewed women as playthings and expected women in the department to raise money by exploiting their sexuality”.

The suit claims that Binghamton University bosses even would remember the type of women certain donors liked. One such donor reportedly liked “big-chested, loud-mouthed women”. One donor even solicited Williams to join him and his wife in bed, for a donation of course. The University’s response? “Binghamton University has zero tolerance for harassment or discrimination of any kind.”

On July 9, 2009, Williams officially filed the sexual harassment suit in Manhattan Federal Court. She alleges not only that her bosses sent her to New York City to flirt with potential donors, but also said that a boss groped her in an elevator. Elizabeth Williams’ allegations are detailed in a huge $11.5 million suit filed in New York’s Federal Court.

At Leeds Morelli & Brown we educate our clients on the proper procedures for filing a claim with the EEOC for sexual harassment and also give our clients advice on how to handle their situation appropriately until a claim has been filed. At Leeds Morelli & Brown, we strive to ensure the safety of our clients and help our clients manage a stressful situation. For more information, contact Leeds, Morelli and Brown, PC at 1-800-585-4658 for a FREE CONSULTATION.