Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n Waffles Bankrupt After Employee Lawsuit

Roscoe’s Chicken ‘N Waffles Files Bankruptcy After Getting Hit With A Seven-Figure Verdict For Discrimination, Harassment, And Retaliation

The iconic Southern California soul food restaurant, Roscoe’s Chicken ‘n Waffles, filed bankruptcy on March 29, 2016. The filing comes on the heels of a $1,661,800 verdict in a lawsuit by a former employee alleging (among other things) wrongful termination, retaliation, discrimination, harassment and negligent hiring.

According to reports, the lawsuit was brought by Daniel Beasley, an African-American man who began working at a Roscoe’s location in Los Angeles. Beasley, who had been promoted to shift leader by an African American manager, was later transferred to a West Los Angeles location managed by Hispanic woman. The lawsuit claimed that this manager and another Hispanic shift leader regularly used racially insulting Spanish terms referring to to African-Americans and engaged in sexually offensive behavior.

Beasley claimed that the shift leader made sexually explicit comments, performed sexually suggestive motions on fellow employees and commented on body parts of female coworkers and customers. Although he complained about the racial and sexual harassment, Beasley was mocked and threatened with termination by his supervisors. Beasley also complained to the company’s Human Resource Manager and CEO and owner of the restaurant. He was later fired and ended up homeless.

After a 14-day trial, a Los Angeles jury found Roscoe’s liable for retaliation, discrimination, negligent hiring, failure to prevent harassment and discrimination.

If you are the victim of unlawful employment practices, you should consult an experienced employment lawyer. Give the Law Offices of Corbett H. Williams a call today at 949-570-6779 for a free consultation. Delay could cause loss of your claim. You can also contact us through the form below and we will respond promptly.h3