Hertz failed to protect worker from Hitler-praising ‘airport bums,’ NC lawsuit says
In a double-wide trailer that serves as a regional airport on the coast of North Carolina, a woman who worked for Hertz said she was subject to sexual harassment on a near-daily basis.
Now she’s suing.
Hertz Corporation facilitated a hostile work environment when it failed to protect Harmony Hitchner from a group of men known as the “airport bums” who frequently directed inappropriate remarks at or around her, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.
“Ms. Hitchner was subjected to years of verbal abuse, harassment, and inappropriate behavior that she could not escape,” her attorney Joseph Budd of Osborn Gambale Beckley & Budd PLLC, told McClatchy News. “Hertz, a multi-billion dollar company that had a duty to protect Ms. Hitchner, was well aware of this situation and left her to fend for herself in this hostile environment all so that it could maintain its business relationship with the airport and its influential management.”
A representative from Hertz did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
According to the lawsuit, the “airport bums” consisting of male employees and patrons made conversation in the sitting area adjacent to the Hertz counter Hitchner managed at Cape Fear Regional Jetport, just south of Wilmington.
Topics of discussion reportedly ranged from looking up women’s skirts to the merits of Adolf Hitler.
Hitchner’s attorney pointed to at least seven instances of inappropriate conduct between May 2017 and August 2019, including:
- A male employee reportedly stared at her butt and said he “enjoyed watching” her.
Howard W. Franklin, the director of the airport, reportedly said men should get more credit for not groping women because it’s “innate” behavior.
Franklin also reportedly talked about looking up an underage girl’s skirt.
The “airport bums” reportedly said they were allowed to stare at Hitchner’s breasts given the clothing and makeup she wore. “Plaintiff immediately asked that the inappropriate conversations stop, but they nevertheless continued for approximately 40 minutes,” the complaint states.
They also reportedly made jokes about two African American women boarding a flight and “made various comments praising Adolf Hitler.”
Multiple male employees reportedly talked about a female volunteer’s skirt and getting a lap dance from a co-worker.
Franklin is a former Air Force One crew member who worked for five U.S. presidents, including Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, his website states. He’s now an author and public speaker.
An attorney for the airport responding on behalf of Franklin denied the allegations.
“At no time has Mr. Franklin directed inappropriate comments to Ms. Hitchner (or anyone else) nor has he or any other airport staff engaged in unlawful behavior,” Randolph M. James told McClatchy News. “When Ms. Hitchner expressed any concern to Mr. Franklin, immediate steps were taken by Mr. Franklin to address those concerns in a positive respectful manner.”
According to the complaint, Hitchner was in “near daily contact” with supervisors and managers.
“Despite being on notice of, and even acknowledging, these circumstances, (Hertz) took no action to prevent the offensive conduct or otherwise protect plaintiff aside from repeatedly suggesting to plaintiff that she ‘put her headphones on,’” the lawsuit states.
She was eventually transferred to Wilmington — an additional 30 miles away without compensation for the travel time, according to the complaint.
Hitchner returned to Jetport a month later and was forced to resign in December 2019 “as a result of the intolerable discrimination occurring on a daily basis,” the lawsuit states.
The complaint makes claims for a hostile work environment, wrongful discharge, retaliation and negligent supervision and retention. Hitchner is seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as attorneys’ fees.
This story was originally published February 20, 2020 at 5:07 PM.
