Government Accuses KFC Of Sexual Harassment

ALABAMA KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN FRANCHISEE
SUED BY EEOC FOR SEX HARASSMENT
Number of Women Subjected to Verbal And Physical Abuse, Federal Agency Charged

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – "A Monroeville, Ala.-based Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant violated federal law by subjecting female employees to a sexually hostile work environment according to a lawsuit filed today by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, Jack Marshall Foods, Inc., doing business as Kentucky Fried Chicken, subjected several female employees to harassment in the form of sexual comments and statements, demeaning gestures, inappropriate touching and other sexually demeaning physical contact. According to the complaint, the sexual misconduct occurred on almost a daily basis for many of the victims. The EEOC said the company failed to take appropriate action to address and correct the harassment despite complaints from a number of employees.
Further, the EEOC charged, Jack Marshall Foods unlawfully retaliated against one of the employees, Adrienne Waters, by reducing her hours and then firing her for complaining about the harassment. The Commission also asserted that Chiquita Bradley and a class of employees were forced to quit due to the sexually hostile work environment. The EEOC asserts that the company’s actions were intentional and demonstrated a reckless indifference to its employees’ federally protected rights.

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Alabama (Civil Action No. 1:09-cv-0160-WS-M) after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement. The suit seeks monetary relief for the alleged victims, a court order requiring the company to implement new policies and practices designed to prevent harassment, employee training on anti-discrimination laws, posting of notices at the work site and other injunctive relief.
In Fiscal Year 2008, the EEOC received 13,867 charges of sexual harassment claims of harassment, the most since 2002.

“Sexual harassment is illegal and unconscionable in any workplace,” said Delner Franklin-Thomas, district director for the EEOC’s Birmingham District Office.
C. Emanuel Smith, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham District Office, said, “The EEOC is committed to ensuring that Alabama workplaces do not condone offensive sex-based mis-conduct. This lawsuit is a step toward that goal.”

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency’s web site at www.eeoc.gov."