Current:Home > MyFederal agency sues Chipotle after a Kansas manager allegedly ripped off an employee’s hijab -WealthMindset
Federal agency sues Chipotle after a Kansas manager allegedly ripped off an employee’s hijab
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:00:55
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.
Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the company encourages employees to report concerns, including through an anonymous hotline.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind and we have terminated the employee in question,” she said in an emailed statement.
The harassment began in July 2021, when the manager began asking the employee, who was 19 at the time, to remove her hijab because he wanted to see her hair. According to the complaint, he demanded to see her hair at least 10 times over the course of one month. She refused on every occasion, saying she wore it because of her religious beliefs.
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.
The following day, the employee gave her two weeks’ notice. Chipotle didn’t schedule her for any shifts during those two weeks even though other non-Muslim employees who submitted their notice continued to be scheduled for work during that time, the complaint alleged.
The lawsuit claims that Chipotle violated federal civil rights law protecting employees and job applicants from discrimination based on religion, race, ethnicity, sex and national origin.
In its suit, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it wants Chipotle to institute policies that provide equal employment opportunities for employees of all religions and pay damages to the employee.
veryGood! (65)
Related
- Taylor Swift Eras Archive site launches on singer's 35th birthday. What is it?
- Sleater-Kinney announce new album ‘Little Rope’ — shaped by loss and grief — will arrive in 2024
- Hunter Biden returns to court in Delaware and is expected to plead not guilty to gun charges
- Pakistan announces big crackdown on migrants in the country illegally, including 1.7 million Afghans
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- More big strikes loom, with thousands of health care and casino workers set to walk off the job
- Court reviews gun-carry restrictions under health order in New Mexico, as states explore options
- Iranian police deny claim that officers assaulted teen girl over hijab
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- Juvenile shoots, injures 2 children following altercation at Pop Warner football practice in Florida
Ranking
- Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
- Who is Laphonza Butler, California Gov. Gavin Newsom's choice to replace Feinstein in the Senate?
- Juvenile shoots, injures 2 children following altercation at Pop Warner football practice in Florida
- All 10 drugs targeted for Medicare price negotiations will participate, the White House says
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- South African cabinet minister and 3 other lawmakers cleared of corruption in parliamentary probe
- John Legend Doppelgänger Has The Voice Judges Doing a Double Take After His Moving Performance
- WWE's Becky Lynch, Seth Rollins continue to honor legacy of the 'wonderful' Bray Wyatt
Recommendation
'Most Whopper
At least 10 killed as church roof collapses in Mexico, officials say
There's now a Stevie Nicks-themed Barbie. And wouldn't you love to love her?
Charlotte Sena update: What we know about the 9-year-old missing in New York
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Defense Department official charged with promoting, facilitating dog fighting ring
A guide to the accusations against Abercrombie & Fitch ex-CEO Mike Jeffries
Rep. Matt Gaetz moves to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker