Slim Chickens to Pay $300,000 in EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit
Restaurant resolves suit charging Hot Springs location allowed harassment of teens
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Simply Slims, L.L.C., doing business as Slim Chickens, will pay $300,000 and provide other relief to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.
Headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Slim Chickens is a fast-casual restaurant with more than 200 locations; franchisee operator Simply Slims, L.L.C. owns 13 locations in Central Arkansas, including one in Hot Springs, Arkansas.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the company received two complaints of sexual harassment by a shift manager at the Hot Springs location on or before April 2022; however, the company allowed the shift manager’s harassment to go unchecked. The company’s inaction continued through July 2022, when four more young female workers complained of sexual harassment against the same shift manager, according to the suit.
“As young people step into today’s work environment, many continue to experience harassment,” said Faye Williams, regional attorney for EEOC’s Memphis District Office. “This case sends a clear message to employers: the EEOC is steadfast in its commitment to eliminating discrimination and ensuring that all workers are protected from harassment in the workplace.”
Slim Chickens’ alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Simply Slims, L.L.C., Case No. 6:23-cv-06090) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, Hot Springs Division, after first trying to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
The two-year consent decree resolving the charge, entered by Chief U.S. District Judge Susan O. Hickey, requires Slim Chickens to revise and distribute its sexual harassment policy and provide sexual harassment training to all employees for two years.
Delner Franklin-Thomas, district director of the Memphis District Office said, “With more American teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 entering the workforce each year, it’s critical that employers recognize the EEOC stands firm in its commitment to eradicating sexual harassment in the workplace and to equipping this nation’s young people with the resources they need to be successful in the workforce.”
For more information on sexual harassment, visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment.
The EEOC’s Memphis District Office has jurisdiction over Arkansas, Tennessee and 17 counties in Northern Mississippi.
The EEOC’s Youth@Work website presents information for teens and other young workers about employment discrimination, including curriculum guides for students and teachers and videos to help young workers learn about their rights and responsibilities. For more information, visit: https://www.eeoc.gov/youth.
The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
Source: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC.gov)
