Filed Date: Sept. 29, 2006
Closed Date: 2009
Clearinghouse coding complete
The Houston District Office of the EEOC brought this suit against Houston Fast Foods which owns and operates a Popeye's franchise, in September of 2006, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The suit was based on violations of Title VII, when a manager at a Popeye's sexually harassed female employees by groping them and other sexual advances, and retaliated against them by reducing hours and constructive termination. The parties settled the case within a week of the case being filed through a consent decree issued on October 4th, 2006.
The consent decree contained monetary relief and injunctive relief. The damages paid totaled $126,000, with $86,000 going to two named complainants and the remainder going to a settlement fund for a class of women to be determined by the EEOC. The injunctions were designed to prevent Houston Fast Foods from discriminating on the basis of gender or retaliating against complainants in the future. They were to fire the manager who was responsible for the harassment and retaliation, as well as give future employers a negative reference as to this former employee. They were to apologize to the complainants and expunge their records. In addition they were required to provide annual training on sexual discrimination and retaliation to their employees, and initiate a new anti-harassment policy. The decree was to last for 36 months. The docket sheet does not show any further enforcement; the case was presumably closed in 2009.
Summary Authors
Alex Bean (6/12/2007)
Clearinghouse (6/12/2017)
Stacy, Frances H. (Texas)
Stacy, Frances H. (Texas)
Last updated Feb. 15, 2024, 3:30 a.m.
State / Territory: Texas
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Sept. 29, 2006
Closing Date: 2009
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, on behalf of one or more workers.
Plaintiff Type(s):
Attorney Organizations:
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Houston Fast Foods (Houston), Private Entity/Person
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VII (including PDA), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Amount Defendant Pays: 126000
Order Duration: 2006 - 2009
Content of Injunction:
Expungement of Employment Record
Develop anti-discrimination policy
Utilize objective hiring/promotion criteria
Follow recruitment, hiring, or promotion protocols
Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention
Post/Distribute Notice of Rights / EE Law
Provide antidiscrimination training
Issues
General:
Discrimination-area:
Discharge / Constructive Discharge / Layoff
Harassment / Hostile Work Environment
Other Conditions of Employment (including assignment, transfer, hours, working conditions, etc)
Discrimination-basis:
Affected Sex or Gender:
EEOC-centric: