Sexual harassment and failure to pay wages are allegations for the basis of a lawsuit filed recently against a Warsaw man.

Amy Bowman of Warsaw and Candice Conroy of Claypool are the plaintiffs in the case filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court against Ford H. Olinger and the Dutch & Ford Foundation Inc. Both women worked for the Dutch & Ford Foundation until May.

According to court documents, Bowman and Conroy were subjected to "malicious, oppressive and intentional acts," including an alleged statement to Conroy by Olinger on her second day of employment that "there is no sexual harassment law in force here."

The lawsuit also contends that Olinger told Bowman "he did not intend to watch what he said around her and she would need to put up with his talk about sex with women and talk about his own personal sexual exploits."

Olinger also allegedly offered to make financial arrangements for Conroy to get breast implants and he regularly sought to get Conroy to agree to have a sexual relationship with him by promising her things, the suit claims. An example cited in the case filed by Warsaw attorney Paul D. Refior was that Olinger told Conroy "another woman who did agree to sleep with me got a car," the suit alleges.

Olinger's alleged behavior toward Bowman and Conroy was "severe, extreme and outrageous, and exceeded all bounds usually tolerated by decent society, and was intended by Olinger to inflict emotional distress" upon the two women, according to court documents.

The women are seeking an unspecified amount to compensate for their "extreme emotional distress" resulting from Olinger's alleged "abuse." They also are asking that the court award them punitive damages "in such an amount as will rightfully punish" Olinger and the Dutch & Ford Foundation and deter them and others from committing such wrongful acts.

The lawsuit also alleges that Bowman and Conroy were not fully compensated by Olinger and/or the Dutch & Ford Foundation for the work they performed and that Olinger demanded they work overtime and lunch hours without pay.

The women were required to be clocked out for pay purposes during the lunch hour each day, but they were required to be at the work site and on duty during that time, the lawsuit contends.

One of Bowman's paychecks was returned unpaid by the bank due to insufficient funds and she claims to be owed $80 in out-of-pocket expenses.

The total sought for unpaid wages is $8,241.66 by Bowman, plus attorney fees, costs incurred for the bounced check and consequential damages. Conroy is seeking $1,440 in wage compensation, plus attorney fees and consequential damages. Both women also are requesting reimbursement for car and gasoline expenses incurred when they were required to use their own vehicles for company business. [[In-content Ad]]