DALLAS, March 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Two former female employees have sued the Rodeo Goat restaurant chain, as well as its affiliates and operating company, for sexual harassment and unlawful retaliation. The lawsuit was filed in Dallas County District Court by the law firm Scott | Perez LLP.
The plaintiffs in the case allege that a female employee was a victim of ongoing sexual harassment by Rodeo Goat Kitchen Manager Domingo Mendoza, including three instances when the victim alleges Mendoza grabbed her breasts. When another female employee reported the harassment to Rodeo Goat’s management, she was promptly fired. Shortly after this, the victim contacted the Texas Workforce Commission to report the harassment, and Rodeo Goat promptly fired her as well. The plaintiffs have text messages between the victim and Mendoza, in which Mendoza apologizes for grabbing the victim’s breasts.
“This is one of the more obvious and egregious cases of retaliation you’re likely to see,” said Javier Perez, one of the plaintiffs’ attorneys. “While Rodeo Goat ultimately fired Mendoza, they also fired both the reporting employee and the victim. In fact, Mendoza himself fired the woman who reported his misconduct.”
Adding to the misconduct, Rodeo Goat’s management threatened the victim, whom Rodeo Goat believed was an undocumented worker, that any complaints would cause problems for her because of her alleged status. “In today’s climate, this kind of behavior amplifies the problems going on politically” said Matt Scott, another of the plaintiffs’ attorneys. “Employers feel like they can mistreat employees because they are allegedly undocumented. It’s shameful and un-American.”
The Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA) makes it unlawful for an employer to allow sexual harassment and makes it unlawful to retaliate against any employee for opposing sexual harassment or other practices made unlawful under the TCHRA.
The lawsuit is Ayala, et al. v. Rodeo Goat, et al., and is pending in Dallas County District Court. Scott | Perez LLP is an employment law boutique specializing in representing individuals. Visit the firm’s website at http://www.spemploymentlawyers.com.
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