EAST ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a suit against Long John Silvers alleging female employees at its restaurant in Centralia faced sexual harassment and retaliation.
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a complaint June 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against LJS Opco Two LLC, doing business as Long John Silvers, alleging violation of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title I of the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
The Commission alleges in its complaint that beginning in May 2019, female employees working at its restaurant in Centralia were subject to unlawful employment practices. Specifically, the Commission claims female employees at the restaurant faced "unwelcome and offensive physical contact and sexual comments and propositions," including a male manager sending an explicit video of himself to one of the 17-year old female employees.
The Commission claims Long John Silvers then cut the female employees' work hours in retaliation for reporting the sexual harassment. The Commission alleges Long John Silvers failed to prevent or remedy the harassment and failed to train its employees about its polices against sexual harassment.
The Commission seeks monetary relief, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Gwendolyn Young Reams, Gregory Gochanour, Justin Mulaire and Miles Shultz in Washington, D.C., and Elizabeth Banaszak in Chicago.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:21-CV-00717-SPM