$217,500 to be paid by Route 22 Sports Bar/Crazy Mexican Restaurant & Grill to Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment/Retaliation suit

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Route 22 Sports Bar, Inc. and Crazy Mexican Restaurant & Grill, LLC, two restaurants located in Weirton. W.V. agreed to pay $217,500 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation suit.  In addition to the money, they will also provide significant equitable relief, including: prohibiting the owner’s male spouse from holding any supervisor position and having direct contact with employees while acting on behalf of either restaurant; adopting robust sexual harassment and anti-retaliation policies; establishing a complaint procedure for employees to report harassment or retaliation; providing specialized training on conducting sexual harassment investigations; and consenting to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) compliance monitoring and reporting requirements. This was announced by the EEOC today.

The above conditions are a result of the actions that happened at the workplace involving the male spouse of an owner of the two restaurants and other male employees.  The male spouse possessed broad authority over the businesses and their employees.   He subjected a female bartender and other employees to unwanted and offensive sexual harassment.   Some complaints include secluding female employees in his office and propositioning them for sex and subjecting them to unwanted sexual touching and comments.   Other male employees of the two restaurants also sexually harassed female workers.   The lawsuit includes an additional charge of retaliation after the female bartender was fired due to complaining about the harassment she received.

These allegations violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits harassment and discrimination because of sex.   The act also prohibits employers from retaliation towards employees because they report harassment or discrimination.   After first attempting to reach voluntary pre-litigation settlement through conciliation, the EEOC filed suite (U.S. EEOC v. Route 22 Sports Bar, Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 5”21-cv-00007) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.

Both parties voluntarily agreed to settle by entry of a consent decree which was approved by the federal court.    The Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and parts of New Jersey and Ohio.