Mendez v. Perla Dental, No. 08-2029 (7th Cir. 2011)
Annotate this Case
The plaintiff claimed gender discrimination and hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. 2000e, retaliation in violation of Title VII, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, retaliatory discharge in violation of Illinois law, and violations of the Fair Labor Standards Acts, 29 U.S.C. 201, and the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, 820 ILCS 105/1. A jury awarded compensatory and punitive damages, overtime damages, and lost wages. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, holding that the district court had subject matter jurisdiction at the time of filing. In addition to claims based on sexual harassment, the complaint alleged that plaintiff was fired for filing a police report concerning the assault. Discharge for filing a police report is an Illinois common law tort without reference to the duties created by the state Human Rights Act, and therefore not within the exclusive jurisdiction of the state Human Rights Commission.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.