Plaintiffs say they’re moving forward with suits against Gerry Lane

Despite an announcement from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission late Wednesday that it will not pursue a federal discrimination lawsuit against Gerry Lane Enterprises, an attorney for plaintiffs in the case says his clients intend to move forward with lawsuits accusing Gerald R. Lane and his company of sexual harassment and racial discrimination. Joseph Long, who represents current and former Gerry Lane employees, says his clients declined to participate in the investigation that led to the commission’s decision Wednesday. While he did not elaborate on why they declined to participate, Long says in a prepared statement, “We are pleased the EEOC has completed its investigation so that we can get on with litigation.” His statement conveys a desire to move forward expeditiously: “The government has finally granted us the right to sue in Federal Court regarding our first six plaintiffs. The law gives us 90 days to file our federal complaint. We will be filing shortly. We also have many other plaintiffs who are awaiting their right to sue letters.” In total, Long says he anticipates as many as 14 former employees will file suit. You can learn more about the charges being made by some former employees in a previous story from Daily Report here.