The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced on Wednesday, September 21 that a Texas Roadhouse franchisee in Ohio settled a 1.4 million dollar lawsuit lodged against it.

The EEOC said restaurant manager Eric Price subjected female employees, including teenagers, to inappropriate touching and requests for sexual favors in exchange for employment benefits. Even though he received numerous complaints since 2007, he wasn’t taken off his post until May 2011 when surveillance video showed him inappropriately touching a 17-year-old in his office.

Ellen Toth, an attorney, said the lesson in this case is that “employers have to be able to show their employees and prove to a judge or jury that they promptly, thoroughly and honestly investigated each complaint they received. This lesson is magnified when an employer receives complaints of physical touching of underage women.” Under the settlement contract, the companies need to track and report all discrimination and retaliation complaints in accordance to a five-year consent decree.

Toth said retail and restaurant operations far from corporate headquarters may want to practice reporting such complaints by giving contact information for regional and corporate human resource professionals. Other options include providing anonymous Internet and telephone hotlines and scheduling regional and division management to make unannounced visits during non-peak hours to uncover hidden issues.

If you suffered injustice or maltreatment at your place of work in Austin or another area of Texas, get in touch with our attorneys at The Melton Law Firm by calling our offices today at (512) 330-0017. We can file the appropriate lawsuit against the people responsible for your mistreatment.

Detective Brenda Bermudez of the Austin Police Department in Texas recently filed a lawsuit against the city after claiming that her co-police officers and the department treated her unfairly in the workplace, KVUE reported on December 31.

Bermudez stated that her co-workers retaliated against her and provided a hostile working environment after she reported sexual harassment performed by her colleagues while she was a team member in the Human Trafficking Unit in 2010.

According to the lawsuit, Bermudez accused her male co-workers of molesting unclothed female victims in sting operations. She was then often teased if she would do the same to the nude female prostitution victims who they rescued, as she was a lesbian. In this way, she was often the subject of offensive jokes.

When she reported the behavior, she was transferred to a different department, while no measures were taken against the colleagues she claimed acted inappropriately.

Workers enjoy legal protections in the state of Texas. Do not hesitate to file a lawsuit against your employer or other parties if these rights are trampled on; call the employment attorneys of the The Melton Law Firm in Austin at (512) 330-0017 today to begin taking action.

Forty-eight-year-old Sylvia Lind, the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in a management position at Major League Baseball, said in a lawsuit she filed against the organization on December 11 that she has faced discrimination in the league for over two decades, the Associated Press reported.

According to the lawsuit, Lind, who is currently the MLB’s director of baseball initiatives in the Office of the Commissioner, said she has been passed over for promotions and has been consistently underpaid since 1995. She also claimed to experience a hostile work environment because of her age. The lawsuit also asserted that Frank Robinson, former hall of fame player, was appointed the executive vice president of baseball development despite a lack of qualifications and is paid over $1 million annually.

If you believe you are experiencing discrimination or a hostile work environment in Austin, the attorneys at the The Melton Law Firm may be able to advocate on your behalf. Call our offices at (512) 330-0017 today to learn about your legal options.

An article recently released by the Austin Daily Herald discussed the positive impact that a healthy work environment can have on any given employee’s mental and physical well-being. Since many people spend a large majority of their time working, it is important to have a positive view regarding your place of work and co-workers.

In addition to choosing to approach your work with a positive attitude, investing in healthy relationships with co-workers can give you a sense of fulfillment from going to work. Another factor that can improve your work experience is keeping healthy snacks around. Nutritious foods can not only improve your overall health, they can also improve your focus and productivity. Though these considerations may seem like very small choices, committing to them can have an incredibly positive impact on your overall wellness.

Despite efforts to make your work experience positive, you may be experiencing problems due to co-worker hostility, discrimination, or an array of other factors, and you should not deal with these difficult issues alone. An Austin employment lawyer at the The Melton Law Firm is ready to fight on your behalf when you face wrongful treatment at your workplace. To learn about options available to you, call our office today at (512) 330-0017.

A civil jury in Austin, Texas found software giant and Fortune 100 company Microsoft liable for employment discrimination based on wrongful discharge and ordered the company to pay $11.6 million to senior sales executive Michael Merceica, who was found to have been the victim of a vindictive ex-girlfriend who was also his boss.

The three-year court battle focused on the defamation lawsuit lodged by Merceica against marketing consultant Tracy Rummel and the wrongful discharge suit filed against Microsoft in 2011.

The court discovered that Rummel, along with Merceica’s former girlfriend, his direct manager and the regional sales director, Lori Aulds, had spread a rumor that Merceica had sexually assaulted Rummel. However, rather than charging Merceica with sexual harassment, his managers instead created a hostile working environment for him.

If you have been the victim of injustice in your workplace, whether through discrimination, wrongful termination, or the creation of a hostile work environment in Austin, the experienced legal team at the John Melton Law Firm is ready to help. Call us today at (512) 330-0017 to learn more about what we can do for you.