EMPLOYEES WERE ALLEGEDLY SUBJECTED TO UNWANTED GROPING AND TOUCHING
Pacific Culinary Group, Inc. and CB Foods, Inc – companies which manufacture and distribute “Asian specialties and global gourmet food items” which are supplied to hotels, restaurants, theme parks, cruise lines, airlines, and big box distributors -- was sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on April 21, 2023.
The EEOC alleges that the workers at these two companies were subjected to “ongoing verbal and physical sexual harassment.” Apparently, the Chief Operating Office is alleged to have engaged in “frequent and offensive unwanted groping and touching … unwelcome sexual advances and comments …and [asked] inappropriate questions about employees’ sexual preferences and sexual activities.” And when complaints about these activities were filed, the individuals were reportedly subject to “additional harassment and/or discipline, including termination.”
Asserting that such conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No.: 2:23-cv-03018), and seeks “compensatory and punitive damages for a class of aggrieved individuals, as well as injunctive relief intended to prevent and correct discrimination.”
In a written statement announcing the litigation, Anna Park, regional attorney with the EEOC's Los Angeles district, noted, “The EEOC continues to see employers failing to address and properly remedy harassment in the workplace, despite repeated employee complaints. Failing to correct harassment opens employers up to liability and tells others such behavior is condoned in the workplace …. The EEOC will continue to vigorously enforce anti-discrimination laws to shine a light on and stop harassment and retaliation.”
Is their goose cooked?
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