A former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging severe sexual harassment and discrimination. Alexis Lane lodged the complaint on August 23, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Peerless Enterprises, LLC, doing business as Peerless Fence Group.
Lane's allegations are extensive and deeply troubling. She claims that during her tenure from October 2021 until her termination on June 3, 2024, she was subjected to persistent sexual harassment by her direct manager, Jim Wall. The inappropriate behavior included frequent comments about her appearance and body despite her clear expressions of discomfort and disinterest. For instance, Jim allegedly made remarks such as "you’re the kind of girl that belongs at my gym; there’s older men with money and you could find a sugar daddy." Lane reported these incidents to Human Resources Representative Kelli Gadbois multiple times but received no effective resolution. Instead, she faced punitive measures like being sent home from work for a week and being removed from the company's system.
The complaint further details how Lane was discriminated against due to her pregnancy. Despite experiencing complications and requesting reasonable accommodations such as working from home intermittently, her requests were denied. On one occasion when she informed Jim Wall about her pregnancy-related sickness and asked for help with tasks, he responded aggressively: "You do it; it’s your fucking job." Lane's attempts to seek help were met with hostility rather than support.
Lane also accuses Peerless Enterprises of retaliation. After repeatedly reporting the harassment and seeking accommodations for her pregnancy, she was ultimately terminated under what she describes as pretextual reasons related to a phone call on May 31, 2024. This termination came shortly after she informed HR that she was considering legal action due to the ongoing harassment.
In her lawsuit, Lane is seeking several forms of relief including back pay and benefits, compensatory damages for emotional pain and suffering, punitive damages, injunctive relief to prevent future occurrences of such behavior within the company, and coverage of attorney’s fees.
Representing Alexis Lane is Nathan C. Volheim from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while Peerless Enterprises will likely be defended by attorneys Adam Primm and Mackenzie Rini from Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:24-cv-07609.