Female Employees Subjected to Egregious Sexual Harassment, Federal Agency Charged 

INDIANAPOLIS -- Louisville, Ky.-based restaurant chain Indi's Fast Food Restaurant, Inc. (Indi's) will pay $340,000 to 15 former female employees, some of whom were teenagers while employed by Indi's, and implement other relief to settle a federal lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced today.

According to the EEOC's suit, managers at the Indi's Broadway, Cane Run Road, Fern Valley Road, and Poplar Level Road locations in Louisville subjected female employees to long-standing sexual harassment, including requests for sexual favors, sexually offensive comments and unwanted sexual touching.

Sexual harassment violates Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Louisville Division (EEOC v. Indi's Fast Food Restaurant, Inc., and Evanczyk Brothers, LLC, Civil Action No. 3:15-cv-00590-JHM), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

Under the consent decree resolving this case, Indi's must provide letters of apology to the women, implement new policies, conduct extensive training for employees and management, post an anti-discrimination notice at all workplaces, and report compliance to the EEOC for a five-year period.

"No one should have to endure sexual harassment just to pay their rent and feed their families," said EEOC Senior Trial Attorney Aimee L. McFerren. "Protecting vulnerable workers, including low-wage earners and teenagers, is a top priority for the EEOC. We hope this case sends a clear message that the EEOC will hold accountable employers who fail to protect their employees from workplace harassment."