Hospitality Stops Short of the Mason Dixon Line
A fired manager at Justin Timberlake's New York barbeque establishment, Southern Hospitality, has filed a lurid sexual discrimination suit. This is the second time in six months that Mr. Timberlake’s Upper East Side barbecue joint has been sued by a former employee. Previously, in a federal case filed in November, a busboy claimed Southern Hospitality employees weren't getting their fair share of tips and overtime. In this latest legal battle, aspiring actress Alison McDaniel, claims Timberlake business partners Eytan Sugarman and Ronnie Kaplan are guilty of "vile and discriminatory conduct." McDaniel, who worked at the Second Ave restaurant for a year, was fired after she wrote a memo complaining of the harassment. McDaniel, 29, said her job as manager of Southern Hospitality, became an X-rated nightmare in which she was spit on, pelted with expletives and subjected to porn. In at least one instance, McDaniels asserts, that she was locked in a room and forced to watch pornography with Sugarman, whom made fun of her when she began crying. McDaniel’s has filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court naming Timberlake and best friend Tracy Ayala as defendants. According to court papers, McDaniel also alleges other female workers endured racist comments, such as a hostess who was fired, whom was nicknamed "that ghetto girl at the door". No claim has been filed with the EEOC.
