Del Taco Sexual Harassment Suit Ending with $1.25M Settlement?

In recent news, Del Taco agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged sexual harassment and retaliation against female employees. 

Allegations of Sexual Harassment Cited in Lawsuit: 

According to the lawsuit (EEOC v. Del Taco, LLC, Case No. 5:18-cv-1978 CAS (SPX)), a Del Taco general manager and shift leader at the Rancho Cucamonga, California location sexually harassed young female employees daily. The alleged harassment included unwelcome physical contact, vulgar comments, and sexual propositions. According to the plaintiffs’ claims, the rampant harassing behavior on the part of the shift leader and general manager led other male employees to engage in similar behavior. The young female employees claim they complained to human resources, but that the company failed to respond to the complaints. Some of the workers claim they had no other choice but to quit. 

Sexual Harassment Allegations Led to 2018 Lawsuit:

Del Taco was initially sued in connection to these sexual harassment allegations in 2018. However, in the years since, sexual harassment is still a common issue in restaurant work spaces - particularly in the fast food industry. Del Taco is not the only major fast food chain facing similar allegations. McDonald’s is also facing a class action lawsuit citing allegations of pervasive sexual harassment of female employees (filed in April 2020). The Del Taco $1.25M settlement is one of the largest financial settlements for a sexual harassment case in 2020. 

Additional Requirements Included in the Sexual Harassment Settlement: 

In addition to the financial settlement, Del Taco agreed to make some changes to their policy, and training practices. The company agreed to a three-year consent decree including company-wide injunctive relief with the purpose of preventing workplace harassment and retaliation. Del Taco will retain an EEO to monitor, review, and revise applicable policies and procedures related to discrimination, harassment and retaliation. A new structure will be created for employees to use when reporting discrimination or harassment. Del Taco will also need to provide all employees with training on anti-discrinination laws emphasizing sexual harassment in the workplace. 

Projections Regarding Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: 

Updated training is helpful and will likely improve the situation for many, but it will not solve the problem. This won’t be the last sexual harassment case or sexual harassment case settlement. 

If you need to discuss sexual harassment in the workplace or if you need to file a California sexual harassment lawsuit, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in any one of various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.