TEEN WAS SUBJECTED TO “A HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT
In early February, RSPS Holdings, a Shane’s Rib Shack franchisee, was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), for allegedly subjecting a teenage female employee to “a hostile work environment based on her sex.”
Apparently, an older male manager sexually harassment the college freshman by purportedly making “unwanted comments,” spreading false rumors about her, and apparently “cornered her” in unmonitored areas of the restaurant, “demanding a hug or attention.” And when she complained about the misconduct, her employment was terminated.
Finding such conduct violative of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed suit (5:24-CV-00049-TES) in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia, Macon Division, seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In a written statement, Marcus G. Keegan, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Atlanta District Office, noted that “Under Title VII, employers have a duty to protect their employees from sexual harassment at work …. When the franchisee learned about the misconduct, it should have taken reasonable steps to correct it. Instead, the company punished a teenage employee for exercising her rights, rather than the individual who was harassing her. The EEOC will fight to correct the injustices perpetrated in this case.”
That had to stick to their ribs.
# # #