In September 2005, the San Francisco District Office of the EEOC brought this suit against Harman-Chiu, Inc., d/b/a KFC/Taco Bell, and Harman-Management Corporation in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleging discrimination on the basis of sex in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the defendants subjected the charging parties and other similarly situated female employees to a sexually hostile work environment and retaliated against them by reducing their hours and terminating them. Three charging parties intervened in the suit in February 2006. After some scheduling orders, the parties participated in mediation in May 2006 and settled in September 2006 through a consent decree.

The three-year decree, containing non-discrimination and non-retaliation clauses, required the defendants to: revise and distribute their EEO policies, develop complaint procedures, post notices of the decree, provide annual sexual harassment training for all employees, report to the EEOC at specified intervals, and pay $349,800. The defendants also agreed to provide the charging parties with neutral references, expunge their personnel files from all references to the charges of discrimination, and to provide them with an apology letter. The parties and intervenors stipulated to dismissal of the claims in October 2006; in October 2009, upon satisfaction of the consent decree, the EEOC moved for dismissal all claims, which was granted on October 27, 2009.

Michele Marxkors - 07/11/2007
Rachel Barr - 03/25/2018


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