Sweetgreen Inc. is being sued by a group of black and female employees at the salad chain’s seven New York locations who say they were victims of racial and sexual harassment.
The complaint filed Thursday in New York state court in the Bronx, which expands a lawsuit first filed in March, claims that workers faced anti-Black racial slurs and that female employees were the subject of sexual comments and unwanted touching.
According to the complaint, managers also refused to promote black workers and gave preferential treatment to Hispanic employees.
Sweetgreen, headquartered in Los Angeles, said in a statement that the company is committed to respecting diversity and providing a safe and inclusive workplace for all.
“We take these accusations seriously and do not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination or unsafe working conditions,” the company said.
The ten plaintiffs allege that Sweetgreen managers and the company’s human resources department ignored complaints about the alleged misconduct for years. All of the plaintiffs are black and eight are women.
The complaint was filed in March by two Sweetgreen employees.
The plaintiffs accused Sweetgreen and two of its executives of racial and gender discrimination, in violation of New York City law. Under this law, employers can be held liable for the illegal conduct of their executives.
The workers are seeking damages for economic losses and emotional distress, as well as punitive damages for what they call “Sweetgreen’s malice or reckless indifference to the plaintiffs’ rights.” (Reporting by Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Lisa Shumaker)
2023-09-14 16:51:29
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