U.S. Department
of Justice
United States v Baltimore County (D. Md.)
On September 5, 2023, the United States filed a complaint in United States v. Baltimore County, Maryland (D. Md.). The complaint alleged that the Baltimore County Fire Department (BCFD) subjected eleven female employees to a hostile work environment that arose out of the solicitation and posting of nude and other inappropriate photographs of female BCFD employees by a coworker as well as BCFD’s failure to take prompt and appropriate actions to correct the ongoing hostile work environment these employees faced in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). On the same day, the United States filed a consent decree resolving the matter, and the Court approved the consent decree on September 6. Under the terms of the consent decree, BCFD will overhaul its process for investigating complaints of sexual harassment, provide periodic sexual harassment training to its employees, and conduct a workplace climate survey to gather information to aid in efforts to keep the workplace free of harassment. Baltimore County also paid $275,000 to compensate female employees that were harmed by the harassment.