Trucking Company, CRST, to Pay 'Pittance' in Major Sex-Harassment Case

By Ryan J. Foley

A trucking company will pay $50,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit, a token payment to avoid trial in a closely watched case that has sharply limited the government's ability to file large workplace discrimination lawsuits in several states.

Cedar Rapids-based CRST Van Expedited Inc. agreed to the payment Friday to Monika Starke, the lone remaining plaintiff in what had once been a major lawsuit by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. In exchange, the company avoided the cost of defending itself against Starke's allegations that it was too slow to respond to her claims that a male trainer had sexually harassed her.