Jenson first began working at the site in March 1975 and, along with other women, endured a continuous stream of hostile behavior from male
employees, including sexual harassment, abusive language, threats,
stalking and intimidation. Specifically, hostile behavior several women faced included repulsive sexual graffiti and men masturbating on women or in front of women. In one case, a man purposely kicked over a porta potty that was occupied by a female employee. In another case, a woman named Judy Jarvela who also worked at the mine reported multiple instances where she came back to her locker with semen on her clothing. One of her co-workers, Diane Hodge, reported that other male co-workers would come up from behind Jarvela and grab her breasts in front of the other co-workers. Their union, USW, did nothing to stop it. They worked with Eveleth's management to create a divide between the female workers in a successful attempt to get them to testify in opposition of these accusations against Eveleth. On October 5, 1984, Jenson mailed a complaint to the
Minnesota Department of Human Rights outlining the problems she experienced. In retaliation, her car tires were slashed a week later. In January 1987, the state's agency requested that
Ogelbay Norton Co., a
Cleveland, Ohio-based part-owner of the mine, pay
US$6,000 in punitive damages and $5,000 to Jenson for mental anguish, but the company refused. On August 15, 1988, attorney
Paul Sprenger filed
Lois E. Jenson and Patricia S. Kosmach v. Eveleth Taconite Co. in the
U.S. District Court in
Minneapolis. Sprenger's complaint stated that Eveleth Mines was discriminatory against female employees and created as well as condoned a hostile work environment for female workers. The company was ordered to educate all employees about sexual harassment.
Patrick J. McNulty of
Duluth was named
special master a few months later to oversee a trial that would determine the amount of money owed to the women in damages. The retired federal magistrate permitted
lawyers from the mine company to obtain
medical records of all of the women for their entire lifetimes. Ahead of the trial, the plaintiffs endured long
depositions that explored their personal lives in great detail. The first half of the trial for damages began in Duluth on January 17, 1995 and lasted until February 10. After a break, it resumed on May 22 and ended on June 13. On March 28, 1996, McNulty released a 416-page report that called the women "
histrionic," made public details about their private lives, and awarded them an average of $10,000 each. However, the judgment was
appealed and reversed by the
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on December 5, 1997. A new
jury trial on damages was ordered. ==Settlement==