New England Biz Law Update
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a lawsuit against six related entities operating Taco Bell restaurants in Michigan, alleging that they violated federal law by allowing a senior manager to sexually harass female employees, including teenagers, and firing a local assistant manager who reported the misconduct.
According to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the senior area manager sexually harassed female employees, some under age 18, on a near-daily basis for months at multiple Taco Bell locations he supervised.
The alleged harassment included making inappropriate sexual comments, unwanted touching, asking underage workers about their sexual activity, and requesting explicit videos from a female assistant manager.
The EEOC claims that the Taco Bell franchisees, operating under common ownership and management, failed to take effective action despite receiving multiple complaints about the senior manager’s behavior.
Furthermore, on the same day a local assistant manager complained to company leadership about the harassment, she was terminated from her position. The senior manager was allowed to continue working for several more months until he was eventually fired.
The lawsuit seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages for the terminated assistant manager and other victimized female employees, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future harassment and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement.
The case highlights the legal responsibility of employers to provide a workplace free of sexual harassment and to properly investigate and address complaints, especially those involving young and vulnerable workers.
