There are a number of people alleged to be connected to the mob in New York City, many of whom have had their fair share of run-ins with the law. One suspected member of the Gambino family mob is having his own legal problems now, but it is not for what many would suspect. The 59-year-old restaurant owner is being sued for creating a hostile work environment and failing to pay a former waitress the overtime pay she says she has earned.
The former waitress said that she started working in the Manhattan restaurant in February 2012. Shortly after she started working there, the owner started bothering her. Not only did he tell her that he found her attractive, but he supposedly asked her out on dates repeatedly. The waitress’s lawsuit also claims that he made other inappropriate comments and forced her to go out with him.
The waitress tried to tell her boss that she just wanted to work in a “peaceful environment” and that she was not interested in him. It seems, however, that he did not stop.
No one, man or woman, deserves to be sexually harassed at work. While it is not necessarily harassment to ask out a coworker once, repeatedly doing so, especially after he or she makes it clear that he or she is not interested, can be construed as harassment. Moreover, speaking about an employee’s body, using sexualized language and otherwise making someone feel uncomfortable is against both federal and state employment law.
When these kinds of situations do arise, many people turn to sexual harassment and hostile work environment lawsuits for compensation.
Source: New York Post, “Reputed mobster ‘cannoli king’ sexually harassed waitress: suit,” Jamie Schram, April 30, 2014
