Real estate listings company Zillow has been sued for sexual harassment by two different women. One former employee has accused the company of “sexual torture.”
See a statement from the company at the end of this report.
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Rachel Kremer, who worked as a sales consultant for America’s largest real estate web site filed the suit in a federal court in Santa Ana, California. The complaint states that Kremer, “brings this action based on the sexual torture she endured, and for the other women who have been silenced at Zillow, and remain exposed to horrific and unthinkable acts.”
Kremer further alleged that Zillow was nothing more than an “adult frat house where sexual harassment and misconduct are normalized, condoned, and promoted by male managers.” She said that her male supervisors “ranked [her] according to her breast size, sent pictures of their penis to her, and demanded sexual gratification and obedience.”
Zillow, for its part, stated that it investigated Kremer’s accusations and found no evidence of wrongdoing. In a statement company spokeswoman Dawn Lyon said that the allegations, “do not reflect Zillow’s culture or workplace and are completely inconsistent with our values. We don’t tolerate harassment of any kind.”
The other suit was brought by Jennifer Young, a former Zillow sales rep, who is represented by celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. Young has made the claim that her managers said she was “too old to close.” Young also asserts that she was unfairly terminated after she took time off from work to recover from a car accident.
In response, Zillow said that it tried to accommodate Young and accused Young of failing to cooperate with the company in those efforts.
The company released a statement saying, ““For Zillow, our people are our greatest asset. The behavior described does not accurately depict our culture or the 1, 200 employees who work hard and treat each other with dignity and respect. It’s incredibly important to us to create and maintain a work environment that is safe, comfortable and inclusive for everyone.”
Geragos had already filed three similar lawsuits against Zillow on behalf of other clients.
Jill Simmons, a spokesperson for Zillow sent JBN the following statement in an email:
It is clear that the narrative being pushed by this law firm through their multiple lawsuits is completely inconsistent with those who know and work with Zillow.
We take any allegation about our workplace very seriously and are investigating these claims. We don’t tolerate harassment or discrimination of any kind.
Our people are our greatest asset. The behavior described does not accurately depict our culture or the 1, 200 Zillow employees who work hard and treat each other with dignity and respect. It’s incredibly important to us to create and maintain a work environment that is safe, comfortable and inclusive for everyone.
