TEEN GIRL WAS TORMENTED BY MALE SUPERVISOR
A McDonald’s franchisee – Arch Fellow North LLC – is alleged to have violated federal law when it failed to address the misconduct of a male supervisor, at its Checotah, Oklahoma location, who reportedly subjected a 17-year-old worker to sexual harassment.
According to a press release issued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the male supervisor not only made sexual comments and innuendo “for over a month,” he supposedly grabbed her by the waist, in a dark, isolated storage shed and threated to “rape” her. Rather than take appropriate action in response to complaints, the company allowed the supervisor to continue interacting with the victim and other young girls.
Since such conduct was believed to have violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the EEOC filed suit (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Arch Fellow North LLC d/b/a McDonald’s, Civil Action No. 6:23-cv-00331) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In a written statement, Andrea G. Baran, regional attorney for the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office, noted that, “Unfortunately, workplace sexual harassment remains a persistent problem, and teen workers are particularly vulnerable …. Young victims may lack the self-confidence to challenge unwelcome conduct, and they can be susceptible to being taken advantage of by older workers. Employers have a responsibility to protect these young employees from unlawful harassment.”
Look who’s vulnerable now …
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