North Texas Woman Files Workplace Sexual Harassment and Assault Lawsuit Against Executive

Filing seeks to hold Pedro Caretto personally liable for explicit sexually-motivated acts

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A lawsuit accusing a C-level executive of “relentless” sexual harassment, assault and degrading conduct has been filed in a Dallas County court.

The plaintiff, identified under the pseudonym Jane Doe, claims the defendant, Pedro Caretto, began grooming her for a relationship after she began reporting to him. According to the lawsuit, Caretto’s behavior escalated from sexually explicit comments, texts, memes and images into repeated, unwanted physical contact and assault.

The plaintiff alleges that Caretto grabbed her, exposed himself, demanded that she touch him and used one-on-one and after-hours “work meetings” to isolate her when other employees were not present, all while telling her he was protecting her role and was responsible for her continued employment.

The lawsuit further alleges that Caretto secretly photographed the plaintiff without her knowledge or consent, retained the images after she demanded that he delete them and later admitted using them for his own sexual gratification. It alleges that he accessed confidential records to obtain her home address after Ms. Doe refused to give it to him, and that she was at least the fourth employee targeted by Caretto.

As the allegations began to surface, the lawsuit alleges Caretto falsely claimed the two were having an affair and tried to shift blame onto the plaintiff. Even after he learned an investigation would occur, he entered her office, closed the door and tried to influence what she would say.

“Pedro Caretto held this woman’s job over her head and used it to get what he wanted,” said attorney Rogge Dunn, founder of the Rogge Dunn Group, who represents the plaintiff. “It was an abuse of power by a COO, and when he got caught, he lied and tried to cover his tracks. We brought this case so that he answers for what he did personally, by name.”

The lawsuit seeks to hold Caretto individually liable under Chapter 21 of the Texas Labor Code, which makes supervisors and others liable for workplace sexual harassment, regardless of the size of the employer. The suit also asserts common-law claims for assault, battery and invasion of privacy, and it seeks actual and punitive damages.

The Rogge Dunn Group recently obtained a landmark judgment under the same law when a Dallas County court ordered a company owner to pay more than $5.7 million after finding he sexually harassed, assaulted and retaliated against an employee he supervised. It was the first time an individual had been held personally liable under the 2021 statute.

The case is Jane Doe v. Pedro Caretto, Cause No. CC-26-06968-E in the County Court at Law No. 5 in Dallas County, Texas.

Rogge Dunn Group has built a well-deserved reputation for aggressive litigation, outstanding results and attentive client service. Mr. Dunn has won more than $2 billion in net settlements and verdicts for his clients. In 2020, The National Law Journal awarded the Rogge Dunn Group the Elite Trial Lawyers Law Firm of the Year award for gender discrimination cases. Based in Dallas, the firm tries cases in state and federal courts in Texas and throughout the United States. Learn more about the firm at www.roggedunngroup.com.