Ferguson files lawsuit over sexual harassment of farmworkers

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) _ The state of Washington is accusing a Quincy agricultural company and one of its managers of sexually harassing female workers and retaliating against workers who complained.

State Attorney General Bob Ferguson filed the lawsuit Wednesday in federal court in Spokane, Washington.

Ferguson alleges that Horning Brothers LLC, allowed one of its foremen to sexually harass and discriminate against female employees for several years.

A message left at the company headquarters in Quincy was not immediately returned.

The complaint accuses the company and the foreman of retaliating against employees who rejected his advances or complained about his conduct. Employees who reported the conduct were reprimanded, discharged or not rehired the following season.

The complaint says that since at least 2012, only women were hired to sort onions on the packing line.