A federal agency has sued the restaurant chain Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation after a manager at a Kansas location forcibly removed an employee’s hijab, a headscarf worn by some Muslim women.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleged that in 2021, an assistant manager at a Chipotle in Lenexa, Kansas, repeatedly harassed the employee by asking her to show him her hair, despite her refusal. After several weeks, the harassment culminated in him grabbing and partially removing her hijab, according to the complaint.

The manager’s “offensive and incessant requests” that she remove her hijab, and his attempt to physically take it off, were “unwelcome, intentional, severe, based on religion, and created a hostile working environment based on religion,” the complaint alleged.

  • Coasting0942@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    Should have been a sexual harassment lawsuit. Dude literally couldn’t hear the word “no” coming out of her mouth.

    • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
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      1 year ago

      I detest religion, but I absolutely believe it’s wrong to violate someone’s religious apparel. But you touched on what makes it even more vile. I knew there was something that made this feel worse and it’s that a man felt secure violating the space of a woman. He should be charged for two violations. Thanks for articulating what I felt but couldn’t quite find.

    • FlowVoid@midwest.social
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      1 year ago

      The federal government won’t sue for sexual harassment, the employee would have to file a lawsuit herself.

    • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Dude literally couldn’t hear the word “no” coming out of her mouth.

      Oh he heard it, he just ignored it.

  • stopthatgirl7@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    The employee complained to another supervisor that the incidents made her uncomfortable, but no further action was taken against the manager, the complaint said. One night during closing in August 2021, the manager allegedly reached out and pulled her hijab partially off her head.

    That’s so infuriating - she reported the guy and nothing happened. Not until he tried to literally rip a piece of clothing off of her because he felt entitled to see her hair.

      • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Pretty typical when it comes to fast food employees. You got kids managing kids, who often don’t know shit about anything.

        They probably brought it up to someone also inexperienced, who dropped the ball, and somewhere along the way, a actual professional realized the wtfness and moved it forward.

        When I worked in fast food, my manager was two years older than me, and he didn’t know shit about anything not related to the food.

  • Godnroc@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Forcefully removing an employee’s clothes without consent. Yeah, seems like there should be consequences for that.

  • Gork@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Chipotle’s defense is probably going to be, “We’re not responsible for the actions of individual franchise owners.”

      • Gork@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Cool, didn’t know that. That makes their court case stronger.

    • Potatos_are_not_friends@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      That’s always been McDonalds defense.

      “Oh, an employee took a shit in the deep fryer? We the McDonald’s corporation will write a strong letter denouncing shitting in the fryer and will forward it to the franchise owner. Now go and eat our other shit.”

    • SeaJ@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Which, honestly, is understandable assuming they also take away the person’s franchise rights. I doubt corporate policy is to have people remove hijabs.

  • danielbln@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I gotta start filtering communities more, who gives a shit if some American backwater racist did racist things.

    • Nougat@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      I do, and you should, because actively ignoring racists doing racist things, especially in a way that tramples people’s rights, enables those racists, and enables those rights tramplers.

      You’re the guy who says nothing at a table full of Nazis.

    • YeetPics@mander.xyz
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      1 year ago

      who gives a shit

      I do. And I think I’m not alone.

      You can block communities by clicking the ellipses, I hope that helps 🤡

      Don’t forget to make a post about how unpleased you are with the discussions and announcing your departure so we call all cheer and flip you the bird as you leave.

    • Steal Wool@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      “Don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya!” 👋

    • Haha@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The place becoming like Reddit. Just attempt at rage bait. I’m gonna block those communities and posts

      • comedy@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Thanks for the update man, I was on pins and needles wondering what you were going to do after seeing this story! Update us later on what you’ll be eating for lunch!

      • stopthatgirl7@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        Funny, y’all whining about seeing something you personally aren’t interested in is the most Reddit thing of all.

      • YeetPics@mander.xyz
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        1 year ago

        Nice attempt at rage bait!

        You don’t have to announce your departure, you aren’t a passenger jet lmao