Kerry S. Woods' wait for justice regarding his sexual harassment case will have to wait longer. Last month, a federal appeals court reversed a jury verdict and an award of $301,000 that Woods and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission won last year from contractor Boh Brothers Construction Cos. In effect, the ruling said the case did not meet the legal threshold because the victim exhibited traditional masculine behavior.
The case involves a Boh supervisor who tormented Woods by calling him "homo" and "faggot" while they worked in New Orleans on the I-10 Twin Span bridge reconstruction project in 2009. The harassment, which included incidents such as the supervisor exposing himself and simulating sex with Woods, made the $18.76-an-hour ironworker miserable during his time on the job.