The owner of six Pennsylvania Taco Bell restaurants has agreed tol pay $35,000 and furnish equitable relief to settle a class sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency has announced.
According to the EEOC's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the general manager of Penn Taco Inc., doing business as Taco Bell, subjected female employees to sexual harassment at its facilities in Lancaster and Hanover, Pa. The EEOC charged that he made crude sexual overtures, gestures and comments to female employees. The agency also said that despite employee complaints, company officials failed to take appropriate measures to stop the unwelcome harassment. Taco Bell denied the allegations.
In addition to the $35,000 monetary relief, as part of the two-year consent decree settling the suit, Penn Taco agreed to revise its anti-discrimination policies, provide training to supervisors and managers about employee rights and employer obligations under Title VII, and post a notice regarding the settlement.
