$1 Million Lawsuit Claims Sexual Harassment and Retaliation at EquipmentShare

SAN ANGELO, TX — former technician at EquipmentShare’s San Angelo branch has filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation by his supervisor.

Brandon Villegas filed the suit in April 2026 in Tom Green County state court. EquipmentShare removed the case to federal court in San Angelo on May 20, 2026. The case is now pending before U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.

According to the lawsuit, Villegas worked as a technician at EquipmentShare’s location at 933 West 19th Street in San Angelo. He claims his direct supervisor, Bruce Curtis, began pressuring him in December 2024 to pursue a romantic relationship with Curtis’s stepdaughter.

Villegas alleges Curtis sent him his stepdaughter’s phone number and repeatedly asked whether he had contacted her or planned to “get with her.” He claims Curtis made sexual comments about his stepdaughter and told Villegas he would become his “son-in-law.”

After Villegas declined, he says Curtis and parts manager Caylor Corley began mocking him as “gay” in a derogatory manner, both in person and in group text messages. The harassment allegedly continued for weeks and included Curtis calling him a homophobic slur on February 26, 2025.

Villegas claims that on February 17, 2025, Curtis publicly humiliated him in the shop by yelling “You f***ing suck” in front of other employees.

On February 21, 2025, Villegas filed a formal complaint with EquipmentShare’s Human Resources department. Six days later, on February 27, 2025, the company terminated him, citing “time theft.”

Villegas alleges the stated reason was pretextual. He says he had a clean disciplinary record and had recently been approved for a tool reimbursement and paid leave before filing his complaint. He also claims the company told other employees he was fired for time theft.

Villegas asserts claims under the Texas Labor Code for:

• Sex discrimination and hostile work environment
• Retaliation for reporting harassment

He is seeking between $250,000 and $1,000,000 in damages.

EquipmentShare has denied the allegations and asserted affirmative defenses, including that its employment decisions were based on legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons.

On June 1, 2026, U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix entered a scheduling order requiring the parties to confer by June 15 and file a joint report by June 29. The case is in its early stages.