Chipotle Services, LLC has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a former crew member at its Prattville, Alabama restaurant. The EEOC alleged that a male restaurant manager at the Prattville Chipotle Mexican Grill subjected the employee to daily sexual harassment starting in October 2019, including unwanted advances, comments, and offensive conduct, such as sexual contact. Chipotle was accused of failing to investigate complaints against the manager or take action to stop the harassment, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace.
The lawsuit (EEOC v. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc., and Chipotle Services, LLC, Case No. 2:22-cv-00326-MHT-SMD) was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama after attempts at pre-litigation settlement through conciliation were unsuccessful.
As part of the two-year consent decree resolving the case, Chipotle will review and update its anti-discrimination policies regarding sexual harassment and provide in-person training on sexual harassment to employees at its Alabama restaurants in Prattville and Montgomery. Additionally, managers and human resources personnel with authority over these locations will undergo further sexual harassment training.
Bradley Anderson, EEOC Birmingham district director, emphasized the illegality of sexual harassment and the importance of enforcing anti-harassment policies to create a work environment free from such behavior. Marsha Rucker, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Birmingham District, added, “Even when a victimized employee is not fired or disciplined, employers can be complicit with sexually harassing managers when the proper procedures for prevention and correction are not in place or are easily thwarted by the chain of command. The EEOC will hold employers accountable under federal law when they fail to protect their workers from a sexually hostile work environment.”
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