EEOC Sues Boss Man Tacos for Sexual Harassment
Lawsuit says Indiana restaurant allowed cooks to harass female servers, including teens
INDIANAPOLIS – Bossman Tacos, LLC, doing business as Boss Man Tacos, violated federal law at its Highland, Indiana restaurant by subjecting female employees to a hostile work environment because of their sex, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit announced today.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, since at least November 2021, Boss Man Tacos knew its head chef and other male cooks were sexually harassing its female servers, some of whom were teenagers, but allowed the harassment to continue. The EEOC alleged the harassment included trapping women in restrooms and walk-in refrigerators in order to make unwanted sexual advances, touching them inappropriately, propositioning women for sex, and making lewd and offensive sexual jokes and comments. The harassment was so severe that some employees felt compelled to quit, the EEOC said.
“Employers have a responsibility to create a safe working environment for their employees, especially when the company hires young employees who may not know their rights and may be particularly vulnerable to harassment in the workplace,” said EEOC Indianapolis Regional Attorney Kenneth L. Bird. “The EEOC remains steadfast in its mission to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.”
The restaurant’s alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits sexual harassment. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Bossman Tacos, LLC, Case No. N.D. Ind. no. 2:25-cv-00316) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
For more information on sex-based employment discrimination, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sex-based-discrimination. The EEOC’s Youth@Work initiative has 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.
The EEOC’s Indianapolis District Office oversees Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky and parts of Ohio.
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)