Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settled with Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Inc. will pay $255,000 in order to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit. As part of the settlement, it will also investigate anonymous sexual harassment claims, conduct more employee training and report instances of sexual harassment claims for three years.
Cracker Barrel was accused of allowing sexual jokes and lewd remarks to be made to seven female employees at one of its locations in Cedar Bluff, TN. The company did not take action when the women complained to managers and the Cracker Barrel complaint line. According to a recent article in The Tennessean, Cracker Barrel decided to settle the sexual harassment suit in order to maintain a good relationship with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
This is not the first time Cracker Barrel was accused of allowing workplace discrimination practices to occur at one of its locations. In 2006, Cracker Barrel paid $2 million in a consent decree to resolve a race discrimination and sexual harassment suit involving 51 employees at three Illinois restaurant locations.
Sexual harassment can include any unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or verbal or physical conduct that creates an offensive or sexually charged work environment for employees of either gender.
