Employee Quit After Facing Discrimination and Harassment from Manager, Federal Agency Charged
CLEVELAND – ADT Pizza, a restaurant in Zanesville, Ohio doing business as Pizza Hut, will pay $13,083 in damages and $1,916 in back pay to resolve disability discrimination and harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
The EEOC’s lawsuit says Pizza Hut discriminated against an employee by subjecting her to unwelcome and derogatory comments by a member of management based on her disability. She forced to quit because of the harassment. Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).
Following a reasonable cause finding during the investigation, the parties engaged in pre-litigation conciliation, resulting in a settlement that includes monetary damages and back pay. As part of the settlement, Pizza Hut also agreed to hire an outside expert to conduct training on disability discrimination, harassment and retaliation under the ADA for all of its employees in Ohio, as well as for all of its general managers, district managers, directors of operations, vice presidents of operations and human resources employees nationwide. The company will also redistribute its EEO policy, its anti-harassment policy, and its complaint resolution form. Further, the company will report any internal complaints of disability discrimination, harassment and retaliation in its Ohio locations.
"Employees have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment because of their disability," said Dilip Gokhale, director of the EEOC’s Cleveland Field Office. "This action makes it clear that the EEOC will vigorously enforce that right."
For more information on disability discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination. For more information on harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/harassment
The conciliation agreement was initiated by the EEOC’s Cleveland Field Office, one of four component offices of the agency’s Philadelphia District Office. The Philadelphia District Office has jurisdiction over Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and portions of New Jersey and Ohio. Attorneys in the Philadelphia District Office also prosecute discrimination cases in Washington, D.C., and portions of Virginia.
The EEOC prevents and remedies unlawful employment discrimination and advances equal opportunity for all. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.
