Chipotle to pay former employees $400K in alleged sexual harassments

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. will pay $400,000 to three former employees at its Sammamish, Washington, restaurant, who were allegedly sexually harassed by their service manager and a co-worker, to settle a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity lawsuit, the agency said Thursday.

The agency said the harassment included the manager sexually assaulting an underaged employee, making unwelcome sexual comments and requests for sex, and trapping the young workers in the restaurant’s walk-in refrigerator, blocking their exit.

The EEOC said the Newport Beach, California-based chain did not adequately investigate the workers’ complaints or take adequate remedial measures to stop the sexual harassment, despite employees’ reports to the restaurant’s general managers.

The chain was charged with violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

Under terms of the three-year consent decree settling the suit, in addition to paying the $400,000 to the three employees, Chipotle will appoint an internal consent decree coordinator and provide additional sexual harassment training to its employees in seven of its Washington restaurants, among other provisions.

Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, issued a statement that said in part, “We are committed to ensuring that our restaurants are in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations and we believe that in hiring workers beginning at age 16, we can provide younger employees with valuable experiences and an opportunity for advancement.

She said the chain has “implemented an enhanced labor scheduling program in our restaurants, creating a more efficient, consistent and compliant environment.”