PORTLAND – An appeals court Thursday rejected a motion by L.L. Bean seeking a new trial in a sex discrimination suit in which a federal jury awarded $215,000 to an L.L. Bean employee.

The 1st District U.S. Court of Appeals in Boston upheld last year’s jury decision in favor of Eileen Crowley of Wales, who sued the catalog retailer for failing to protect her from continual sexual harassment by a co-worker.

L.L. Bean appealed the decision, claiming that one of the jurors was biased, improper evidence was allowed and the jury was given improper instructions.

Crowley’s lawyer, Rebecca Webber of Auburn, said she was relieved at the decision. She said she was surprised that L.L. Bean had appealed because it would draw more attention to the case.

“Now everybody’s going to know that L.L. Bean let a stalker stalk her at work,” Webber said.

L.L. Bean spokesman Rich Donaldson said the company had no comment because company officials had not yet read the decision.

Crowley accused L.L. Bean, which is based in Freeport, of failing to take steps to prevent the sexual harassment she endured from a co-worker over a period of more than two years.

The suit alleged that Paul Juhl stalked and harassed Crowley at and outside of work. Crowley testified that Juhl followed her at work, followed her home, touched her, showered her with unwanted presents and broke into her home.

The suit claimed that L.L. Bean had engaged in sex discrimination by not protecting her from Juhl and, therefore, maintaining a hostile work environment. L.L. Bean fired Juhl in 1998, but only after Crowley had obtained a court protection order against him.

Crowley has worked at L.L. Bean since 1992, and still works as an order picker, collecting merchandise in the company’s warehouses for packing and shipping.

Webber said L.L. Bean can still appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.