Sexual harassment settlement reached with communications company Alorica

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- An investigation into allegations of sexual harassment against male and female employees at the global communications company Alorica has identified 44 cases.

The harassment happened at call centers in Fresno and Clovis. Linda Strong was the first employee to come forward.

"He would talk about his favorite sex positions. He would comment on my breasts, asking me what kind of bra I wore. In one-on-one meetings, he would pull me close to him and rub on my back, try and give me massages on my shoulders and whisper in my ear," Strong said.

A settlement was announced Wednesday, with Alorica agreeing to pay $3.5 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. The federal law enforcement agency investigates harassment in the workplace and sent out surveys to Alorica employees.

Another employee, Chasity Lamattina, said her manager would follow her around and touch her inappropriately while at the office.

"He placed his hand on my buttocks area and then swiped this directly across and went straight down under," Lamattina said.

Lamattina was fired for a lack of attendance after human resources asked her to take a few days off while they investigated her allegations.

"I gave you dates and time frames. You have cameras. How hard is that?" she said.

Standing right in front of Lamattina during the settlement announcement, a top executive for Alorica, which is headquartered in Irvine.

"Alorica disputes the allegations in the complaint based on our internal investigations and believes the company would have been vindicated had we litigated this matter," said Tania King, the chief legal officer for Alorica.

But Alorica said they have terminated staff following these accusations and encourage all employees to come forward with any complaints of workforce misconduct.

The EEOC believes there may be more victims from the Clovis and Fresno call centers who were harassed that have not come forward. The time frame the EEOC is focusing on is August 2014 to the present.