"Severe sex-based harassment of young workers was permitted to run rampant at one of the nation's largest retailers," Acting EEOC Chairman Stuart J. Ishimaru said in a prepared statement. "It is shocking that Lowe's store managers actively engaged in and even encouraged such blatant unlawful conduct and then retaliated against the victims for objecting to it." Lowe's denied the claims of the three workers and did not admit any liability but settled "in the interest of avoiding additional disruption and litigation costs," according to a statement issued by corporate parent Lowe's Cos. Inc. in Mooresville, N.C. "Lowe's is proud of our anti-discrimination policies and procedures and is pleased the company has been able to secure a settlement with the EEOC that supplements our ongoing efforts to prevent discrimination in the workplace," the statement said, adding that the decree requires only "minor revisions" in sexual harassment policies.