Jury clears Goodyear of liability in harassment case

PEORIA, Ill. (March 14)—A federal court exonerated Goodyear from liability March 8 in a sexual harassment case brought about by eight male employees at the company´s Normal, Ill., tire assembly plant. A jury in a U.S. District Court in Peoria upheld the Akron tire maker´s claim that it "acted responsibly" in handling the situation. The employees, four of whom still work in Normal, said in the suit they endured a combination of physical, mental and verbal sexual harassment. The employees, one of whom dropped his complaint, said Goodyear had been aware of what was happening but didn´t take action in a prompt manner. The suit, which claimed the workers were subjected to a "sexually hostile work environment" through inappropriate actions by a male supervisor, was filed in March 1998.