A former engineer at Schlumberger recently recounted her experiences of alleged sexual harassment while working at the oil and gas giant, alleging that her dream job became a “nightmare.”

Case background

Jessica Cheatham says she was drawn to Schlumberger because of its industry leadership and a perception of commitment to diversity, which she believed was evident from images of women in hard hats on the company's website.

During her testimony, Cheatham detailed multiple instances of sexual harassment she endured during her tenure with Schlumberger, starting with events that transpired at a worksite near Midland, Texas, in January 2018. As a trainee at the time, Cheatham was paired with a male colleague who allegedly made explicit and inappropriate comments.

She testified that her colleague made a disturbing remark, stating, "If I messed up on this survey, he was going to bend me over his knee and spank me." Shocked by the comment, Cheatham confronted him, to which he replied, "You'll like it" and proceeded to play explicit content on the Playboy channel.

The following day, the same colleague continued his inappropriate behavior by making sexual innuendos during a training session. Cheatham reported the incident to Schlumberger's human resources.

Cheatham testified that when she reported the harassment, HR responded dismissively. An HR representative reportedly told her, “Men just say that kind of stuff.”

Cheatham shared three other incidents of harassment that occurred in the same year. These incidents included comments about her attire, derogatory remarks from a non-Schlumberger worker and inappropriate questions about her career advancement based on sexual favors.

If you’ve been sexually harassed at work, contact a qualified whistleblower attorney at Kardell Law Group today.