Settles Federal Charges Female Employee Was Sexually Harassed, Then Transferred and Denied Promotional Opportunity Because She Complained

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Bojangles’ Restaurants, Inc., a Delaware corporation operating in Greensboro, North Carolina, has agreed to pay $20,000.00 and provide other relief to a settle a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, a female team member at a Bojangles fast food restaurant in Greensboro was sexually harassed from March 2020 to June 2020, as the restaurant’s general manager made numerous sexual remarks to the employee and inappropriately touched and grabbed her. After complaining about the general manager’s conduct, the employee was denied the opportunity to participate in a management training program and was transferred to a different location as retaliation.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment in the workplace and prohibits retaliation against employees who oppose sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Bojangles’ Restaurants, Inc., Civil Action No.: 1:22-cv-00739) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its voluntary conciliation process.

In addition to paying $20,000.00 in damages to the affected employee, the two-year consent decree, which applies to specific restaurants, requires Bojangles to train managers and employees on sexual harassment, to refrain from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, including in the administration of management training programs, and to refrain from retaliating against employees who complain of sexual harassment. Bojangles has agreed not to rehire the offending manager.

“Employees have a right to be free from sexual harassment in the workplace,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the Charlotte District. “Employers cannot tolerate such conduct or allow managers to retaliate against employees for reporting the harassment.”

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation.

The EEOC's Charlotte District is charged with the enforcement of federal laws against employment discrimination in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov.