Brazilian court orders indemnity for worker harassed by supervisor

A labor court in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, has ordered a chemical industry to pay R$ 2,500 in moral damages to a production assistant who was subjected to workplace harassment. The Sixth Chamber of the Regional Labor Court of the 3rd Region (TRT-MG) upheld the decision after the company's attempt to overturn the ruling was unanimously rejected.

The case involved a supervisor repeatedly calling the employee “gordinho” (chubby) and making derogatory comments regarding his weight. Although the company denied the allegations, two witnesses testified that the humiliations occurred frequently, including during meetings and in the presence of other colleagues.

Judge Rafaela Campos Alves ruled that the repeated nature of the insults constituted moral harassment. The court noted that a victim's failure to file formal internal complaints does not negate harassment, as employees often fear professional retaliation. The indemnity amount was determined based on the severity of the damage, the company's culpability, the economic capacity of the parties, and the pedagogical purpose of the sentence to prevent future occurrences.