WENATCHEE, Wash. — Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson has filed a civil rights lawsuit against a Wenatchee veterans nonprofit and its founder and CEO on Tuesday.
The lawsuit claims Operation Veterans Assistance & Humanitarian Aid and CEO Thelbert “Thad” Lawson Jr. discriminated against and harassed at least 12 women who worked at or visited the organization’s two thrift stores, the Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store in Wenatchee and the Veterans Thrift Store in Kennewick.
The complaint says thrift store employees were subjected to ongoing sexual harassment, including unwanted touching, sexual remarks and inappropriate requests.
Lawson regularly commented on and asked questions about employees’ sex lives, the document said. He requested sexual favors, asked employees to expose their bodies to him and asked an employee to try on lingerie, the lawsuit asserts.
A news release from Ferguson’s office says Lawson also harassed at least two members of the public — including a store volunteer — at the Wenatchee store. A jury found Lawson guilty of one count of assault in July 2021 for one of the incidents.
The complaint says when Lawson heard one of his employees had talked to a lawyer about being harassed, Lawson removed her from a desirable position as a cashier, monitored her with store cameras, and changed when she took her break so she couldn’t have lunch with her coworkers.
The lawsuit asks the court to permanently prohibit Lawson from working at OVAHA and its stores.
Ferguson is also asking that Lawson pay damages to the people affected.
Anyone with information about Lawson and OVAHA, including people who may have seen or experienced any discrimination, including sexual harassment, at the Veterans Warehouse Thrift Store or Veterans Thrift Store, should contact the Wing Luke Civil Rights Division at 1-833-660-4877, and choose option 6 from the main menu. The Attorney General’s Office can be contacted by email at VeteransWarehouse@atg.wa.gov.