Amazon Web Services employee Laura Danbom sued Amazon in Washington state, alleging the company’s response to her report of a senior manager’s alleged rape violated state law and damaged her career.
KUOW and the New York Post reported Danbom filed the lawsuit Tuesday, Oct. 20. Danbom says the alleged rape took place during a 2023 work trip to New York. The suit alleges Amazon’s response created a hostile work environment and violated Washington’s Silenced No More Act. The claims have not been decided in court.
In an interview with KUOW, Danbom said Amazon’s inquiry found insufficient evidence and did not include interviews with colleagues she had told about the alleged assault. She said she moved departments to avoid the manager and gave up a path to promotion. “I was so heartbroken that my company of seven years, at the time, wouldn’t protect me,” she told KUOW.
Washington’s Silenced No More Act makes void certain nondisclosure and nondisparagement provisions that restrict discussion of specified workplace or work-related conduct an employee reasonably believed was illegal, including sexual assault. It also bars employers from requiring prohibited terms and from retaliating against employees for discussing covered conduct.
Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said the company takes reports of workplace misconduct seriously and investigates them. She told the New York Post Amazon has “zero tolerance for workplace sexual misconduct or violence of any kind.” In a written statement, Nantel said Amazon had nothing further to share about the specifics of the pending litigation, KUOW reported.
The New York Post’s account of the complaint says Amazon cited workplace confidentiality when telling Danbom she could not discuss the accusation at work. The outlet also reported she seeks lost wages, bonuses and employment benefits, with the amount to be set at trial. Danbom requested a jury trial, KUOW reported.
