SEXUALLY HARASSED EMPLOYEE TO GET OVER $56,000
In early April, the franchisors of a Shane’s Rib Shack, out in Milledgeville, Georgia, have agreed to pay $56,500 to settlement sexual harassment and retaliation charges filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Apparently, a college freshman was subjected to a “hostile work environment based on her sex” and was fired after complaining about the misconduct.
An older male manager is said to have made “daily unwanted comments” about her physical appearance, expressed “romantic feelings,” “spread false sexual rumors,” and “cornered her in areas of the restaurant … demanding a hug or attention.”
Believing that such conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Macon Division (EEOC v. RSPS Holdings, et al., Civil Action No. 5:24-cv-00049) seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In addition to the cash pay-out, the company has agreed to modify its anti-harassment and anti-retaliation policies and will provide the EEOC with reports of future complaints.
In a written statement, Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office, noted that “This case illustrates some of the dangers that young employees, especially women, can face in the workplace …. All employees have the right to be free from harassment, and employers have a duty to protect this right. The EEOC is pleased that these Shane’s Rib Shack franchisees have agreed to take the steps set forth in the consent decree to prevent sexual harassment and retaliation in the future.”
Think they should have stuck to their ribs there?
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