Chick-fil-A fired and sexually harassed transgender worker, Georgia lawsuit says
.jpg "A former employee is suing Chick-fil-A, saying she was harassed and fired for being transgender.")
A former Chick-fil-A employee suing a Georgia franchise has accused the location of sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
The employee, a transgender woman, worked at the downtown Decatur Chick-fil-A location for just over two months in 2021 before she was fired, according to the suit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. During her time with the company, she said she was constantly sexually harassed and faced homophobic comments.
Chick-fil-A did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
During her first day of training in August 2021, the worker said she was targeted by another employee who made a series of sexual comments to her. When she reported the comments to the store’s franchise owner, he told her “that it should be an honor that with (her) being a transgender woman that someone liked her enough to hit on her,” according to the lawsuit.
The employee said after she reported the sexual comments, the same team /member continued to harass her, making homophobic comments while the two were on shift together. Other employees at the Chick-fil-A began to join in on the comments and continued harassment, according to the lawsuit.
“Several employees began to intentionally misgender (the employee) and claimed that they had an odor due to her taking hormones to aid in their transition, when it was proven to be a faulty pipeline at the Defendant’s location,” the suit says.
Amid the continued harassment, the restaurant failed to address any of the employee’s concerns despite multiple complaints, she said.
In November 2021, she was terminated for being late and walking out of a shift, according to the suit. However, she said other employees had been tardy and had not been fired. She also said she was approved to leave. Instead, she alleges that she was fired because of her gender identity.
The employee seeks damages for her mental and emotional suffering, punitive damages, special damages for her lost wages and benefits, and attorney’s fees.
“We are committed to seeking justice for (her) and accountability for the horrifying treatment she suffered through and hope to ensure all Chick-Fil-A franchises never treat another employee this way again,” her lawyers, Morgan & Morgan attorneys Ryan Morgan and Jeremy Stephens, told McClatchy News.
Decatur is about 6 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
This story was originally published July 11, 2022 at 2:46 PM with the headline "Chick-fil-A fired and sexually harassed transgender worker, Georgia lawsuit says."
