DURANGO — Four former McDonald’s workers will be paid more than $505,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit against the owners of the Durango franchise.
The female workers’ then 24-year-old manager allegedly bit the girls’ breasts, grabbed their buttocks and made numerous sexual comments beginning in December 2003 when they were teenagers.
Terms of the settlement approved Thursday in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District court included letters of apology from owner John Bronson. In an e-mail statement to the Durango Herald, Bronson said he and his wife plan to move forward and that the matter was settled.
Two of the victims and their lawyer will split $450,000, while an additional $55,000 will be split by two other victims who were represented by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which filed the lawsuit.
“We’re just happy that it’s resolved and there will be appropriate relief for the victims of the harassment,” said Loretta Medina, senior trial lawyer with the EEOC.
Lynn Sholler, the lawyer for two of the victims, said the girls did not pursue criminal charges against the manager because they feared they would have been re-victimized in the process.
Named as defendants were Colorado Hamburger Co., Farmington Hamburger Co., and Jobec Inc., the latter of which does business as McDonald’s in Durango.
In his apology letter Bronson wrote: “The managers have admitted they knew it was their responsibility to protect employees from inappropriate conduct, but they did not. We are sorry for any perception you may have had that the managers blamed you for what happened to you at the restaurant.” In an e-mail to the Herald, John and Celia Bronson said: “We look forward to continuing to serve this community as we have proudly done for the past 30 years.”
