Tapioca Express, a South El Monte, Calif.-based milk tea franchise, and two of its franchisees violated federal law by subjecting female employees to sexual harassment and forcing some to quit because of the abuse, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is charging.
According to the EEOC, the owner of two Tapioca Express franchisees in Chula Vista and National City, Calif., harassed female employees by inappropriately touching them and making repeated comments of a sexual nature. The EEOC said that the owner wrapped his arms around women, physically pressed up against them, and made inappropriate comments about body attributes.
Some female employees felt compelled to quit because of the escalating sexual harassment. The EEOC further charged that all three related defendant companies – Tapioca Express, Inc., Erivera Enterprise, LLC (Tapioca Express), and Edeleen Inc. – failed to prevent and correct the harassing behavior notwithstanding myriad complaints.
The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. The case is EEOC v. Tapioca Express, Inc., Erivera Enterprise, LLC d/b/a Tapioca Express, and Edeleen, Inc. d/b/a Tapioca Express. The EEOC filed the case after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC’s suit seeks monetary damages for the class of victimized employees, as well as injunctive relief intended to prevent and correct discrimination.
According the company’s website, Tapioca Express specializes in milk tea and other popular snacks from Asia, with stores in California, Nevada and Washington.
Topics Lawsuits California
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