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Press Release 10-05-2011

Michigan City Restaurant To Pay $23,000 To Settle EEOC Sexual Harassment Suit

Lighthouse Restaurant Allowed Male Manager to Abuse Female Employee, Federal Agency Charged

SOUTH BEND, IND. – A Michigan City, Ind., restaurant will pay $23,000 to settle a sexual  harassment lawsuit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  (EEOC), the agency announced today.

The  EEOC charged in its suit (Case No. 3:10-cv-0407-RL-CAN in U.S. District Court  for the Northern District of Indiana, South Bend Division) that the restaurant  owner, Faros, Inc., violated federal law when it allowed the manager of the Lighthouse  Restaurant to sexually harass a female hostess for months with sexual innuendo  and propositions and subjected her to a hostile work environment.

Such  alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The EEOC filed suit after first attempting to  reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In  addition to monetary settlement, the five-year consent decree settling the suit  requires Faros, Inc. to comply with prohibitions against further  discrimination, devise and distribute a sexual harassment policy, train its  managers and staff, and report to the EEOC, among other things. Another sexual harassment lawsuit (Case No.  3:11-cv-00306-TLS-CAN) remains pending against Dino's Restaurant, a second Michigan City restaurant  owned and operated by Faros, Inc.

"Sexual  harassment encompasses more than just offensive touching, and an employee  should not have to endure constant verbal sexual propositions and innuendo in  the workplace," said EEOC Regional Attorney Laurie Young. "The EEOC will continue to protect the rights  of employees to earn a living free from such unlawful conduct."

The  EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting discrimination in  employment. Further information about  the EEOC is available on its web site at: www.eeoc.gov.