Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 2, 1994                   TAG: 9406030086
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: C-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

GUARD FILES LAWSUIT

Amy J. Ellers, a security guard employed by the Wackenhut Corp., has been assigned to the ITT facility since 1986. Wackenhut, a security firm in Roanoke, has a contract to provide service to the ITT plant.

In a suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Roanoke, Ellers claims that ITT's security manager, Dennis Newsom, sexually harassed her from 1987 to December 1992.

"This conduct included sexual advances, intentional offensive touching of the plaintiff's intimate body areas, offensive verbal remarks of a sexual nature and other offensive touching," the suit said.

Newsom, an employee of ITT, was given authority over Ellers, who worked for Wackenhut, as part of an agreement between the two companies, according to the suit.

The suit names ITT, Wackenhut and Newsom as separate defendants.

The complaint was filed late Wednesday afternoon, and neither company could be reached for comment. Newsom, according to court papers, now lives in Trinity, Ala. He could not be reached Wednesday.

Ellers claims in the suit that she told ITT and Wackenhut officials about the harassment, but both refused to do anything.

"In failing to take any corrective action ... ITT and Wackenhut ratified such behavior and thereby made it their own," the suit said.

Ellers filed a sexual discrimination claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Nov. 1, 1993, against Wackenhut and ITT.