EEOC Sues Pizza Hut For Sex-Based Discrimination And Retaliation
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently sued Ayvaz Pizza, LLC, doing business as Pizza Hut, which operates more than 350 Pizza Hut restaurants in ten states and multiple locations in the Houston area. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the company violated federal law when it subjected a female employee to sex-based harassment and retaliation, the agency charged.
The EEOC alleges that the employee was harassed by her immediate supervisor after she attempted to break off their personal relationship. Once the relationship was terminated, the supervisor refused to provide the employee with sufficient product, labor, and services to her store. The employee then notified human resources about her supervisor’s inappropriate behavior, and she was assigned to work under another supervisor. About two weeks later, she was presented with multiple writeups and terminated, according to the EEOC, in retaliation for opposing what she believed to be unlawful discrimination.
The EEOC alleges that this conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects individuals from sex-based harassment and workplace retaliation for asserting their rights. The EEOC filed suit against the company after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its voluntary conciliation process.
As part of the lawsuit, the EEOC will seek monetary relief for the victim, including back pay, and compensatory and punitive damages. The EEOC will also seek injunctive relief against the company to end any ongoing sex-based harassment and retaliation, and to prevent such unlawful conduct in the future.
Understanding the EEOC’s lawsuit
The EEOC takes retaliation claims very seriously. According to the EEOC, “the protections against retaliation are vital to the EEOC’s enforcement of civil rights laws,” said EEOC Trial Attorney N. Joseph Unruh. “Retaliation can deter victims and witnesses from reporting workplace discrimination, which impermissibly interferes with the EEOC’s mission. This case should remind all employers to investigate internal complaints of discrimination and not retaliate against those brave enough to oppose discrimination.”
Equal Employment Opportunity laws prohibit punishing job applicants and employees for asserting their rights to be free from employment discrimination including sexual harassment. Asserting these rights is considered a “protected activity” and it can take many forms. These include:
- Filing or being a witness in an EEO charge
- Communicating with a supervisor or manager about employment discrimination including harassment
- Answering questions during an employer investigation of alleged harassment
- Refusing to follow orders that would result in discrimination
- Resisting sexual advances or intervening to protect others
- Requesting accommodation of a disability or for a religious practice
- Asking managers or co-workers about salary information to uncover potentially discriminatory wages
Talk to an Employment Discrimination Lawyer Today
Is your company being sued by a former or current employee or job applicant over claims of discrimination or harassment? If so, call the Columbus employment attorneys at Kohl & Cook Law Firm, LLC. We can help defend your company from the allegations. Call today to learn more.
Source:
eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-sues-pizza-hut-sex-based-harassment-and-retaliation
