LOS ANGELES—A single mother who was living in a homeless shelter alleges in a new lawsuit that a Taco Bell manager promised her a rewarding career with the fast food chain, but instead sexually harassed her to the point that she was forced to resign this summer.
Danielle Brown’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges sexual harassment, gender discrimination, wrongful constructive termination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A Taco Bell representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Friday.
Brown, now 37, was working at a coronavirus testing booth near MacArthur Park in July and at the time was looking for stable employment to provide for her young child, the suit states. A man walked over to her booth, introduced himself as a Taco Bell manager and told her she could make $20 an hour working with the company, the suit states.
Intrigued because she had never made that much money, Brown submitted her application on her phone and was hired shortly thereafter, with the manager making sure she was assigned to his store as a cashier, the suit states.
Brown hoped for a fresh start for herself and her child, according to the suit, which further states that the plaintiff quickly impressed the manager with the swiftness in the way she adapted to her new job.
However, what began as a promising new job quickly became a “nightmare” for Brown when the manager began commenting on her posterior, according to the suit, which also states that the manager suggested they spend time together off-duty.
“Being a homeless single mother in desperate need of income, Brown was an easy target for his depraved urges,” the suit states.
When Brown rejected the manager’s suggestions, he became “cold and hostile” to her for not complying with his demands and he also began unexpectedly cancelling her shifts, the suit states.
“His erratic behavior was confusing and stressful, but Brown needed the income and had no choice but to follow his unpredictable instructions,” according to the suit. “On top of everything, Brown came to the painful realization that getting her a job at Taco Bell was part of [the manager’s] manipulative ploy.”
In August, the manager called Brown while she was on her way to work, told her to pull over her car, again invited her to go out with him, complained about his lack of intimacy with his wife and then turned to the topic of watching pornography while using vulgar language, the suit states.
The manager ultimately told Brown not to come to work, which she believes was in retaliation for her resisting his advances, the suit states.
Brown submitted a resignation letter that same month, stating, “I started the job with much enthusiasm and goals. I was happy to be a part of the team. But my supervisor has been very inappropriate.”
Even as she submitted her resignation, the manager continued to text her to ask her why she wasn’t at work, according to the suit, which further states that Brown has suffered both economic harm and emotional distress since being forced to quit.
