NYACK N.Y. A restaurant operator in the suburbs of New York City has agreed to pay $50,000 to a former teen-aged female employee to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in a Manhattan federal court.
The EEOC lawsuit accused Heather's Hospitalities, Inc., a multi-concept company here that includes Heather's Open Cucina and LuShane's, of creating a sexually hostile environment that was so severe, employee Rebeccah Desselle, then 16 years old, was forced to quit.
Chef Henry Hovorka, owner of Heather's, could not be reached for comment.
In the lawsuit, the EEOC claimed a chef groped Desselle and made degrading sexual comments, including lewd and unwelcome remarks about her body and the types of sexual acts he wanted to perform on her. Although Desselle complained about the harassing behavior, nothing was done to remedy the situation, according to the EEOC.
In addition to the $50,000 in monetary relief for Desselle, Heather's agreed to implement policies and procedures prohibiting sexual harassment and retaliation, as well as provide for the investigation of complaints and the training of employees and supervisors in equal employment law. The EEOC will monitor Heather's compliance to the settlement.
