Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Johnny Utah’s

johnnyutah_hotsouthernmessHere’s the recently-amended class-action sexual harassment lawsuit, Sanz et al v. Johny Utah 51 LLC et al., 14-cv-04380, filed by several employees against western-themed bar Johnny Utah’s. It also contains claims of wage violations under the FLSA and New York Labor Law. NY Post coverage here.

Specifically, it alleges that “[b]y intentionally using the ramped up sexualization of its female employees to sell alcohol to the male patrons and requiring that their female employees submit to unwelcome sexual conduct, at all relevant times, the owners and managers of Johnny Utah’s have knowingly engaged in the discriminatory policies and practices.”

For example:

2. Female servers and bartenders are required to wear sexually provocative clothing, including cut-off denim shorts, cut-off shirts, cowboy boots, and excessive make-up, and are instructed by their superiors to look sexy and “available” to the male patrons. Managers expect the female servers to flirt and “party” with their male customers. Female employees are expected to encourage male customers to buy them shots of alcohol during their work shifts, to sit on male customers’ laps, ride a mechanical bull with other female employees and male customers, dance on top of the bar in front of customers and pour shots of alcohol into customers’ mouths.

3. On a consistent and regular basis, Defendants urge the female employees to take off their shirts when they ride the mechanical bull and kiss other female employees when they ride the bull together. During beach theme parties held during the summer, the female servers must wear bikini tops and customers watch as the female servers splash around in plastic baby/toddler pools set up throughout Johnny Utah’s.

4. Certain female employees, called the “Daisy Dukes girls,” are paid to walk around Rockefeller Center between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m., wearing cowboy boots, cut-off denim shorts and t-shirts, to solicit male customers to patronize Johnny Utah’s.

 

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