Philadelphia Sexual Harassment Lawyers

The popular Mexican grill, Chipotle, has agreed to pay $95,000 to a former worker who claimed that he was sexually harassed by his female manager back in 2015. The case was filed back in 2017 and the settlement was determined in early December. Although Chipotle has not admitted wrongdoing or any liability, the company came to an agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to reform the way sexual harassment complaints are handled and agreed to provide better employee training.

About the Case

The male employee who brought forth the lawsuit worked for a California Chipotle at the time of the allegation. He claimed that his female general manager subjected him to unwanted sexual comments and groped him several times on different occasions. The worker also said that this manager kept a sexual score board by asking employees if they had sex the previous day.

The female manager also allegedly propositioned the young male employee and sent inappropriate Instagram pictures of herself wearing only her underwear. The male employee stated that he complained to a supervisor but faced retaliation from co-workers. He claimed other workers moved his motorcycle to another parking lot and locked him in a freezer. He then resigned.

More Allegations Against Chipotle

A similar case from several years back involved a Manhattan Chipotle. A 17-year old female employee claimed that she experienced repeated sexual harassment. In another suit, a Chipotle manager filed a complaint with the EEOC and alleged that she was sexually harassed, and then fired for reporting the incident.

Acting Against Sexual Harassment Lawsuits

The Harvard Business Review reports that sexual harassment is more prevalent in the restaurant industry compared to other organizations with high percentages. The report claims that 90 percent of females and 70 percent of males reported some form of harassment while working in the restaurant industry. Employees are starting to speak out about the lack of sexual harassment policies and training in these fast food eateries, and the need for change.

Going forward, Chipotle will be required to revamp its internal complaint protocols and will add new policies that hold managers accountable. The company will require managers to submit verbal and written complaints about their sexual harassment incident to a workplace hotline. There will be a 30-day period to complete the investigations and managers who fail to inform the company about the sexual harassment claim will be fired. There will also be anti-sexual misconduct training on how to prevent harassment for all employees and supervisors.