OSAKA -- A female employee of Sagawa Express Co. was awarded 1.1 million yen in damages Monday by the Osaka District Court for being sexually harassed by her boss.
The 31-year-old plaintiff, whose name was not disclosed, filed a lawsuit seeking 2.2 million yen in damages from her boss and the trucking company.
According to the court, the plaintiff was told to quit her job after complaining to the company that she was sexually harassed by her boss during a drinking party. After joining the company in September 1997, she attended a Sagawa-sponsored welcome party for newcomers on the night of Oct. 14 that year, it said.
After the party, she went with her boss and colleagues to a karaoke party, where her boss groped her and forcibly kissed her, according to the court.
When she insisted on going home, the boss told male colleagues not to let her leave, although she soon managed to, it said. The woman consulted with her husband, who lodged a complaint with the company three days later.
Although the company had initially offered an apology and compensation, it later changed its stance, denying the allegations and sent her a letter urging her to quit her job, the court said.
Presiding judge Tetsuo Matsumoto said the boss took advantage of his position and sexually harassed the plaintiff. Matsumoto ordered Sagawa Express and the boss, whose name was not given, to pay the woman a total of 1.1 million yen.
The judge, however, turned down the plaintiff's claim for unpaid wages for a period after the incident, noting that she has not been to work since the party.