TOMS RIVER — A woman who felt she had to quit her job with a tow truck company because of a continuous sexual harassment will now get more than $50,000 for emotional distress — about seven times as much as originally expected.

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Craig T. Sashihara, the Division on Civil Rights Director raised the reward for the former dispatcher for Statewide Roadside Assistance of Toms River to over $57,000 to compensate for emotional distress and lost wages, according to state Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said. The company will also pay another $52,350 in penalties and costs to the state.

The woman, who is a single mother of three, was originally to be compensated only $7,500 in emotional distress.

According to the state Attorney General, the woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was the focus of daily verbal and physical sexual harassment on the job that an Administrative Law Judge called so “severe and pervasive” that “no reasonable person” could be expected to tolerate it.

Owner Neal K. Prasad was accused of following her into the company's garage and telling the woman to "give the big guy a kiss." When she refused, Prasad is accused of kissing the woman on the cheek. On another occasion, Prasad is accused of threatening to bend her over and spank her had she been in a bad mood.

After quitting her job with Statewide and taking a lower-paying job, Porriono said the woman and her children were evicted from their home.

The woman initially left the company in 2013 for another job but returned to Statewide at a higher wage, Porrino said. Prasad also increased his harassment, and said he was owed "something" because her higher rate of pay upon returning, Porrino said.

"The woman said she understood that, working as a dispatcher for a towing company, some coarse language might be expected as part of the daily discourse," Porrino said.  "Upon her return to employment at Statewide, however, she said Prasad began to make overtly sexual comments and ask probing questions about her body part shaving habits, the sexual preferences of her and her co-workers, and the performance of their sexual partners. She said Prasad also made comments to her and a co-worker on more than one occasion about his wife’s sexual proclivities."

Prasad maintained during the investigation that the woman was not sexually harassed, but rather had resigned and made up the allegations because she knew she was going to be fired for repeated lateness, Porrino said. 

During the hearing, Prasad's lawyer called the court claiming he could not appear in court because of a medical emergency. He then became unreachable by phone and email and the case was closed. The attorney never explained the emergency, Porrino said.

“Let this case serve as a message to company owners and workplace supervisors throughout New Jersey. There simply is no place for the kind of abusive and sexually-harassing behavior that occurred in this work environment daily, and we will hold accountable any employer who engages in such conduct, or who tolerates it by others.” Attorney General Porrino said in a statement.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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