The ACLU on Tuesday filed a class-action lawsuit against the McDonald’s Corporation, alleging widespread sexual harassment.
Jenna Ries, whose case was filed in a Michigan court, said she experienced repeated sexual harassment by her supervisor at a McDonald’s restaurant in Mason, Mich., where she was employed for roughly two years.
Ries also filed a harassment complaint with the U.S. Equal Opportunity Commission alleging sexual discrimination.
“I lived in constant fear of losing my job because I didn’t want to be treated like trash, and because I didn’t give in to my harasser’s disgusting behavior,” Ries said.
The filing comes after the former fast-food CEO Steve Easterbrook was recently fired after revelations that he had an affair with an employee surfaced.
“Despite being on notice of pervasive problems of sexual harassment nationwide, McDonald’s fails to address such unlawful sexual harassment and the company culture that enables it,” the lawsuit read.
The court filing said that a male manager would call Ries foul names and grab her physically — “including her crotch, breasts, and buttocks.”
“It drove me to tears, and ultimately left me no choice but to take action. I’m speaking out now to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else at McDonald’s,” she said.
On one occasion, the manager allegedly pushed her into a walk-in freezer and pinned her against a wall while a general manager watched and did nothing.
The suit asks the court to certify a class of female workers who say they have suffered sex-based discrimination at McDonald’s, requesting $5 million in damages.