A lawsuit was filed against Imperial Pacific International’s (IPI) Saipan casino last week over allegations that female VIP hostesses were subjected to continuous intimidation and harassment by male guests, and the casino did little to prevent it. In fact, the suit alleges the hostesses were “ordered to swim — while wearing only bikinis — with male patrons.” Additionally, the hostesses claim the “men repeatedly improperly touched them and sexually propositioned them.”

Saipan at night; image courtesy of MICHAELeDILLEY via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org

The suit was filed by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and argues the plaintiffs were also retaliated against when they voiced complaints about the hostile work conditions. To make matters worse, some of the hostesses were allegedly “asked to demonstrate a French kiss by male patrons.” Additionally, the hostesses were allegedly “forcefully kissed on the lips by a male patron, pushed by a male patron onto a sofa with the intention of being forced to have sex with that male patron, and offered a house in return for having sex with a male patron.”That's not all, though. According to the allegations in the suit, the hostesses were ordered to “escort intoxicated male patrons to their villas and told to make them 'happy.'” On top of that, male guests were allegedly “told in front of the female employees they could touch the women.”Fed up with the treatment, the plaintiffs alerted company officials that the harassment was unacceptable. However, the company failed to do anything about it. Instead, it retaliated against the hostesses that spoke up “by threatening them with firing.” The company also “took away breaks from the women employees following the complaints and gave them extra duties,” according to the suit. As a result, some of the hostesses have quit their job at the casino.The case is expected to be tried in US federal court on Saipan. Saipan is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), which happens to be governed by US law.When commenting on the case, Anna Park, the regional attorney for the EEOC said, “the case was brought on behalf of a class of women impacted by the alleged discrimination.” Park is overseeing the suit from the Los Angeles EEOC office. She added:“Because we bring cases in the public interest, we hope to address the violations found by the EEOC and relief for not only the claimants but also injunctive relief remedies to address the alleged harm in our action going forward...Sexual harassment remains a persistent problem and we hope we raise awareness around these issues. The EEOC takes these issues very seriously.”

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Scantily Clad Saipan Casino Hostesses Forced to Swim with Male Guests, Harassment Lawsuit ClaimsSex Discrimination Lawsuit Filed Against Saipan Casino