Three Female & One Male Employee Claim Sexual Harassment Against Nightclub

$425,000 – Three Female and One Male Employee Claim Sexual Harassment Against Nightclub

Plaintiffs were 3 waitresses and 1 waiter who worked at a medium-sized nightclub chain. The waitresses alleged that they were sexually harassed by inappropriate sexual comments and come-ons perpetrated by the nightclub managers. The male employee claimed that the managers sexually harassed him by hiring a prostitute to attempt to sexually seduce him while the managers secretly watched and made fun of the employee at his expense.

The nightclub defended itself by attacking the credibility and moral character of plaintiffs, taking the position that the sexual banter and come-ons were welcomed by the waitresses – one of whom had been an exotic dancer in her past.

As to the waiter, management claimed that no reasonable male could be offended by a prostitute being hired by his managers to perform sexual acts upon him.

Winer, McKenna, Burritt & Tillis LLP took on the case and were able to locate a significant number of witnesses who indicated that the management of the nightclub was out of control and regularly harassed not only plaintiffs but other employees.

When further discovery was done on the case of the waiter, it turned out he was a passive and meek man in his mid-20s, who was a virgin, and clearly was offended by the conduct of the managers.

The settlement of this case could have been even higher, but the nightclub went into bankruptcy during the litigation and its insurance company claimed it did not need to provide coverage because the nightclub managers failed to report the claim in a timely manner.

RESULT: Settled on behalf of plaintiffs, $425,000.

*Many of the cases that Winer, McKenna, Burritt & Tillis LLP, has settled are highly confidential. In order to provide consumers with an accurate list of settlements, we have accurately stated the amount of the settlement and the facts of the case, but we have changed the location of the cases and the industry of the companies we have sued to make the identification of the actual company impossible.