Ford Sued For Sex Harassment

DETROIT (AP) - A factory worker for Ford Motor Co. sued the company for $50 million Friday, claiming she was sexually harassed on several occasions by a supervisor despite complaints to her managers.

In the suit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court, Justice Maldonado says a supervisor at the Wixom Assembly Plant tried to sexually assault her three times between January and June 1998, pulling at her clothes and demanding that she have sex with him.

Maldonado said that on several other occasions the supervisor made obscene statements and gestures to her.

Maldonado, who still works at the plant, said she filed the lawsuit after several complaints to Ford and union officials were ignored, even though she feared she would lose her job by pushing the case.

"These allegations are very disturbing and Ford does have a zero tolerance policy toward sexual harassment," spokeswoman Susan Kreusel said. "We take these allegations seriously and are conducting a full investigation."