Lawsuits: Gwinnett Wendy's Manager Sexually Harassed Workers

NORCROSS, GA — The manager of a Wendy's restaurant in Norcross groped his employees, exposed himself to them and threatened to have Mexican workers deported, according to the claims in a pair of lawsuits filed last week.

A Norcross man and a Duluth man filed suit against Hoover Foods Inc., a Suwanee-based Wendy's franchisee, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The AJC did not identify the men involved in the suit or the manager by name.

In both lawsuits, the men claimed they were harassed on "virtually a daily basis" by the male manager who, among other things, would slap employees' buttocks and genitals, make lewd comments and repeatedly ask the two plaintiffs to engage in sexual activity, the paper reported.

The manager is also accused of displaying his naked body to the plaintiffs and other employees. He repeatedly bullied Mexican employees and threatened to have them deported if they complained, the lawsuits allege.

The lawsuits say the plaintiffs and other employees repeatedly complained to Hoover Foods, but that the company "took virtually no action" to punish the manager, the AJC reported.

Responding to a complaint, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigated and reportedly said there was reasonable cause to believe the plaintiff's were discriminated against.

A representative for Hoover Foods did not immediately respond to the paper's request for a comment.

To read the original report from the AJC, click here.

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