DTE Energy Defeats Worker’s Suit Over Customer’s Harassing Calls

A former DTE Energy call center representative lacked evidence a customer’s creepy calls to her and other female employees amounted to severe or pervasive sexual harassment, a Detroit federal judge ruled.

Angela Rodriguez fielded three calls “from a man dubbed ‘Customer X’” during her tenure with the energy company, but only two—in which he breathed heavily and made sexually suggestive comments—could be considered sexually harassing, the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan said.

Rodriguez believed the man was masturbating when she spoke with him, and a recording of one of the calls could cause a reasonable jury ...