Nearly 20 Irish Pub Workers File Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Suit Against Employer

Last week, a group of 19 women filed suit against Chicago-based Irish pub and restaurant Tilted Kilt and its Arizona parent company for sexual harassment, retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In June 2011, the women filed two separate charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and on February 8, 2012 they filed suit just days after the Commission issued right-to-sue notices to the plaintiffs.

The complaint lists nearly 30 instances in which a manager “created a sexually hostile, offensive, humiliating and degrading work environment” for female employees, including unwelcome touching of their breasts and buttocks, propositioning the women for sex, frequent sexual innuendos and lengthy talks about pornography. According to the lawsuit, the restaurant manager also told numerous women “I want to f@%k you so bad” and, with the owner, gave the women demeaning nicknames, such as “You give me a hard on.” A nineteen-year-old employee reported that the manager tried to force himself on her, while another woman complained that he used a straw to put water into her dress and said, “I’m trying to get your panties wet” and “That’s how Daddy likes it – with your panties wet.”

The recent filing indicates that the women repeatedly complained about the manager’s outrageous and unlawful behavior, but neither the corporate office nor the local owners intervened to stop the harassment. In addition to the harassment claims, the women also asserted a claim of unlawful retaliation for protected activity, that is, once the women submitted formal charges to the EEOC, the manager began threatening that they would never find work in Chicago again. They also noted that employees who had complained about the harassment and hostile work environment were assigned to less financially lucrative shifts, required to serve unfavorable tables and denied promotions.

Filed in United States District Court in Chicago, Illinois, the lawsuit requests an award of back pay, compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys’ fees.