GREENSBORO, N.C. — The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing a North Carolina Zaxby's franchise after a worker says she was fired for reporting sexual harassment by the franchise's general manager.
According to the EEOC’s suit, the young woman at the center of the suit worked as a cashier at the Zaxby's on West Gate City Boulevard from November 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019. The EEOC complaint states that in late November 2018 to January 25, 2019, the restaurant’s general manager made sexually inappropriate comments and requests for sexual relations to the young woman on a daily or almost daily basis.
The EEOC’s lawsuit further charges that within days of the young woman complaining about the general manager’s conduct to one of BCD Restaurants’ owners, the company fired her in retaliation.
The lawsuit says the manager invited the woman for an expense-paid night at a hotel to have sex in December 2018 and requested she wear fishnet stockings.
The woman says she was fired when she reported the alleged harassment.
Zaxby's released this statement to WFMY News 2 Thursday afternoon:
“Zaxby's Franchising LLC is aware of the EEOC lawsuit involving its independent franchisee, BCD Restaurants LLC, however we cannot comment on pending litigation.”
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace and prohibits employers from retaliating against employees who oppose sexual harassment or other employment practices made unlawful by Title VII. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (EEOC v. BCD Restaurants, LLC d/b/a Zaxby’s, Civil Action No. 1:19-cv-00903), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC seeks back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages for the young woman, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future harassment and retaliation in the workplace.
Some information in this story is from The News & Observer.
In July of this year the EEOC confirmed they were suing 1618 in Greensboro after a worker reported sexual harassment.
