H.I.S. loses Hawaii sexual harassment suit, will appeal

Everyone's favorite Japanese travel agency, H.I.S., has run into some trouble in its Hawaii branch.  Apparently one of their American managers sexually harassed a Japanese female employee:

The Japan-based travel company and one of its managers who were ordered to pay $1.2 million to a former employee for sexual harassment and wrongful termination will appeal this week's jury verdict, their lawyer said yesterday.

Beyond that, the company has not made any decisions regarding the case, said Emlyn Higa, the lawyer for H.I.S. Hawaii.

"We're still evaluating what happened," said Higa, who would not comment further on the case or the allegations.

What happened?  Well, here's what the former employee claims:

During the course of her 14-month employment with H.I.S., Aoki, 29, was subjected to repeated groping and attempts to remove her bra by Shortridge and others, Remillard said. Shortridge also repeatedly pressed on Aoki's breasts with pens and picked her up from behind to attempt to expose her undergarments, he said.

Remillard said Shortridge also repeatedly pressed Aoki for sexual favors, referred to her using a sexually demeaning nickname, and spread malicious sexual rumors about her.

It was after her repeated protests became more vocal that the company fired Aoki, Remillard said.

H.I.S.: first they discriminate against foreign customers in Japan, now they allegedly condone sexual harassment in their offices.  What's next?

[Hat tip to FG]