Four former McDonald's workers will be paid more than $505,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against the owners of the Durango, Colo. franchise, according to an Associated Press report.
The franchise will also provide significant remedial relief as part of the settlement of the lawsuit, which was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on behalf of a class of young female employees, including teens, the agency announced.
The female workers' then 24-year-old manager allegedly bit the girls' breasts, grabbed their buttocks and made numerous sexual comments beginning in 2003, when they were teenagers.
Named as defendants were Colorado Hamburger Co., Farmington Hamburger Co., and Jobec Inc., the latter of which does business as McDonald's in Durango, according to AP.
Terms of the settlement approved April 3 in federal court in Denver included letters of apology from franchise owner John Bronson, as well as training on sex discrimination in the defendants' facilities, posting notices of non-discrimination in all of the defendants' workplaces, and an injunction prohibiting discrimination and retaliation.
Two of the victims and their lawyer will split $450,000, while an additional $55,000 will be split by two other victims who were represented by the EEOC.
Lynn Sholler, the lawyer for two of the victims, said the girls did not pursue criminal charges against the manager because they feared they would have been re-victimized in the process, according to AP.
McDonald's franchise to pay $505,000 for sexual harassment (4/11)
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