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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2023
EEOC SUES EASTBOX LLC AND ROCK STRATEGIC LLC
FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Jack in the Box Franchise Allowed General Manager to Harass Teens and Young Adults Despite Complaints, Federal Agency Charges
PARIS, Texas – The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a lawsuit today against a Jack in the Box restaurant in Paris, Texas, owned and operated by Rock Strategic LLC, the parent company to Eastbox LLC, alleging sexual harassment against teen and young adult female employees.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the general manager engaged in egregious and persistent sexual harassment towards young female employees for almost two years. He made sexual comments, including requests to engage in sex acts in exchange for money. He secluded female employees in the walk-in cooler, back office, or bathroom. The general manager also physically assaulted some of the female employees, grabbing one teenage employee’s genitals over her pants and masturbating in the presence of another during a late-night shift. Several employees, including assistant managers, reported the harasser’s behavior to both the regional manager and director of operations but no appropriate or effective corrective or remedial action was taken. Several of these female employees were forced to leave their jobs because of the general manager’s conduct.
Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace. EEOC filed suit, Civil Action No. 4:23-cv-00814, in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. In this case, EEOC seeks back pay damages, compensatory and punitive damages, and injunctive remedies, including an order requiring the employer’s human resources team to have oversight on all investigations into sexual harassment and discrimination.
“Sexual harassment in the work environment damages an employee’s perspective of the working world,” said Brooke López, trial attorney in the EEOC’s Dallas District Office. “It is especially damaging when you have to combat this harassment by your boss as a teenager in one of your first jobs. That is unacceptable.”
Dallas EEOC Regional Attorney Robert Canino said, “Our investigations continue to find that there are countless scenarios involving serial sex harassment of hourly employees in the fast-food industry. The EEOC will, however, not tire from addressing these discriminatory and unsafe work environments through court action.”
More information about sexual harassment is available at https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. Teens and young workers can obtain more information about their rights in the workplace by visiting https://www.eeoc.gov/youth.
EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates
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