Chipotle restaurant named in sexual harassment lawsuit

On Behalf of | Mar 24, 2016 | Sexual Harassment

A California Chipotle employee who was fired from her job on Feb. 10 after working there for more than two years says that four managers created an inappropriate sexual atmosphere around both employees and customers. Among other allegations, she says that they purposefully ordered her a shirt that was too small and then made comments about her body and spied on women using security cameras. She also says that she was hugged against her will and that one of the managers touched her under her shirt.

The woman filed a lawsuit on March 16 asking for an undisclosed amount of money. The documents filed comprised more than 40 pages, and she is alleging wrongful termination, retaliation, sexual harassment and discrimination.

Both the restaurant and the four managers are named in the lawsuit. Chipotle says its policy is not to comment on lawsuits while they are in progress.

Sexual harassment might happen in a number of ways including sexually explicit material in the workplace or lewd comments. Documenting the harassment can be an important part of building a case. Employees who feel uncomfortable in the workplace due to such an atmosphere may want to meet with an employment law attorney in order to learn how best to proceed. One of the complications in sexual harassment often is that the harasser may be a supervisor, and the employee may be intimidated as a result. Legal counsel may review the company’s harassment policies and, if the employee has complied with them to no avail, seek compensation through a lawsuit.

Source: NBC Los Angeles, “Former Chipotle Employee Files Lawsuit Over ‘Sexually Charged Atmosphere’,” Jonathan Lloyd, March 17, 2016

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