EEOC Sues Credle Enterprises, LLC For  Sexual Harassment

Two Male Employees Physically and Verbally Harassed Female Employees, Federal Agency Charges

DALLAS - Credle Enterprises, LLC, doing business as McDonald's, violated federal law by subjecting four female employees at a McDonald's franchise in Muleshoe, Texas, to unwelcome physical and verbal sexual harassment at the hands of a general manager and another male employee, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, at least four women who worked for the company were subjected to sexually inappropriate behavior during their employment. The EEOC alleges that this harassment included both physical touching of female workers, sexual jokes made by the manager, and the display of pornographic images. The EEOC claims that although Credle Enterprises management was aware of the harassment, effective action was not taken to prevent it from continuing.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits employers from discriminating based on sex. The EEOC filed its lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Lubbock Division (EEOC v. Credle Enterprises, LLC d/b/a McDonald's, Civil Action No.5:18-CV-00239-C, after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

"It took a great deal of courage for these women to come forward and speak out about the behavior of their manager," said EEOC Trial Attorney Meaghan Kuelbs. "Sexual harassment should never be tolerated, and it is especially abhorrent in a workplace dominated by young people who are entering the workforce for the first time."

EEOC Dallas District Office Supervisory Trial Attorney Suzanne M. Anderson added: "Sexual harassment in the drive-thru and behind the counter must be stopped. Muleshoe is a small Texas town with few places for young adults to work. EEOC cannot stand by while managers engage in unwelcome sexual comments and conduct in the workplace."

Credle Enterprises, LLC d/b/a McDonald's operates three McDonald's franchises in northwest Texas. In addition to its location in Muleshoe, Credle Enterprises, LLC operates McDonald's stores in Hereford and Littlefield.

In June 2018, the EEOC reconvened its Select Task Force on the Study of Harassment in the Workplace with new witnesses and testimony on the workplace harassment problem. In 2015 and 2016, the Commission set up the task force to explore ways to combat this national menace. In June 2016, the task force co-chairs, EEOC Commissioner Feldblum and Commissioner and now-Acting Chair Lipnic, issued a final report that laid out a road map for "rebooting" harassment prevention in our nation's workplaces.

The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.