A federal lawsuit filed this week by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission seeks compensatory and punitive damages against Pei Wei Asian Diner in Little Rock, saying a former general manager and kitchen manager sexually harassed young female employees in 2017.
The lawsuit seeks a court order requiring the restaurant to institute policies to eradicate unlawful employment practices based on sex. It also asks that the restaurant be ordered to compensate a former 17-year-old employee for past and future pecuniary losses as a result of her being forced to resign due to "severe and pervasive" sexual harassment.
The commission says the harassment included unwelcome comments and touching, and prompted the girl to complain to an assistant manager, who replied that she should just "deal with it."
It alleges that the general manager, described as a man who was about 37 years old, continued to harass other female employees after the girl resigned. It states, "The unlawful employment practices include subjecting other high school students, teens, and young adults to unwelcome sexual harassment and a sexually hostile work environment because of their sex, female."
In addition, it claims that "the kitchen manager also sexually harassed some of the class members shortly after their hire."
The commission is seeking class-action status for the lawsuit, with the former 17-year-old girl acting as the representative of a class of young females who were sexually harassed at the business.
The lawsuit indicates that the commission tried to resolve the females' complaints without filing a lawsuit, but the employer refused to participate in informal methods of conciliation aimed at eliminating the discriminatory practices and providing "appropriate relief."
A man who identified himself as the current general manager said Thursday that he didn't know anything about the lawsuit or the allegations.
Metro on 10/18/2019