The San Diego County-based Swami's Cafe restaurant chain has agreed to pay $650,000 to settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit that alleged numerous female employees were sexually harassed by male supervisors and co-workers.
The lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged that young female Swami's employees, including teenagers, were subjected to "repeated, frequent and offensive sex-based remarks and advances, as well as unwelcome touching."
The EEOC said employees who complained were retaliated against and forced to quit their jobs.
Swami's did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement, but agreed to a two-year consent decree that was approved by a San Diego federal judge on Monday.
Along with the monetary relief, the decree holds that Swami's will retain an equal employment opportunity monitor, establish a complaint procedure and toll-free hotline, and put policies in place for reporting discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
Mandatory training will be implemented for supervisors and non-supervisory personnel and notice of the settlement will be posted at all Swami's locations, as well as the Honey Bistro in Encinitas.
Those who were fired or quit will be given the opportunity to be reinstated and "the company shall also remove any negative references to the harassment, discrimination and retaliation from the employees' personnel files," the EEOC said.
"We commend these young women for their bravery in coming forward, asserting their rights, and giving a voice to others," said Jacquelyn Famber, director of the EEOC's San Diego office. "The injunctive relief in this decree is an excellent step forward for Swami's Cafe and Honey Bistro, and it would behoove other employers to take note of the relief furnished in this case and implement similar changes as necessary."
