McDonald’s has been hit with a sexual harassment class action lawsuit, by a former employee who claimed a manager continuously harassed her and trapped her in a freezer. This lawsuit follows a string of recent legal action against McDonald’s, including a nation-wide walk-out strike over their sexual harassment policy. Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
According to the lawsuit, the Plaintiff says she endured “multiple instances of sexual harassment” over the year and a half that she worked at the McDonald’s. Soon after she began working at the restaurant, she claims, a manager began harassing her and calling her names “like bitch, slut, and whore in front of other workers and the general manager.” The harassment was also physical, as he “took every opportunity to grab me in the crotch, breast, and butt,” she said, and would also pull her hair and push her into other coworkers. In one instance, she says, he forcibly put his genitals in her hand. In another, he cornered her in a walk-in freezer, pinning her against the wall.
The class action lawsuit has been brought on behalf of all women who worked at the McDonald’s location in the past three years. According to the lawsuit, the manager harassed other employees frequently and was referred to as an “HR nightmare.”
Since 2016, 25 female employees of McDonald’s have filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board, claiming their reports of sexual harassment were ignored, mocked or met with retaliation. The incident reports included indecent exposure, unwanted touching, and lewd comments. One employee, a 15-year-old cashier, was continuously harassed by a co-worker who spoke to the minor with very graphic, sexual language. Another employee said she reported being groped by her co-worker to her superior who responded by mocking her and accusing her of “giving the coworker ‘sex appeal’.”
If you work in a fast casual restaurant such as McDonald’s, and feel you have been a victim of sexual harassment, please reach out to the attorneys at Pechman Law Group at the number 212-583-9500 to schedule a free consultation.