On May 23, 2023, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed two lawsuits against R & G Endeavors, Inc., a Minnesota fast-food franchise doing business as Culver’s Restaurants of Cottage Grove, for subjecting employees to a hostile work environment based on race, sex, sexual orientation, and disability. The company is also charged with denying equal pay and pay raises to a long-serving employee with a disability.

According to the EEOC’s filings, employees at Culver’s Restaurants of Cottage Grove endured harassment, including racial and homophobic insults, sexual harassment, and disability-related slurs. Female employees as young as 14 were exposed to unwanted sexual touching, jokes, and propositions. Despite employees reporting these conditions to management, the company failed to take the necessary steps to stop the harassment and discipline those responsible. One employee was even forced to quit due to the intolerable working conditions. The alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The agency seeks monetary relief for the affected employees and an order requiring the company to take action to prevent future workplace harassment and pay disparities. The cases are pending in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota as EEOC v. R & G Endeavors Inc., Case Nos. 2023-cv-01501 and 2023-cv-01506 (D. Minn.).

This article is for information purposes only. Its contents do not constitute legal advice and readers should not regard this article as a substitute for detailed advice in individual instances

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