Houston, Texas, U.S.A.-based restaurant chain Landry’s Seafood House has agreed to pay USD 90,000 (EUR 80,271) to settle a lawsuit alleging the company’s employees harassed and retaliated against an Iranian worker.
The lawsuit claimed that Landry managers, supervisors, and other employees regularly harassed an Iranian employee, mocking her accent and appearance. The lawsuit further alleged that after the employee complained about the harassment to a higher-up and the company’s human resources department, she was fired for violating a policy that was not consistently enforced.
“Unfortunately, employers continue to retaliate against employees who complain about harassment, even when the employee complains through formal channels like human resources. Addressing retaliation is critical, as more than half the charges the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [EEOC] receives allege retaliation,” U.S. EEOC Phoenix District Director Melinda Caraballo said in a statement.
According to EEOC, national origin harassment and retaliation violates Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act. The commission first attempted to settle with the company, but when that didn’t work, the government sued Landry’s in district court.
On 12 May, the EEOC announced that Landry’s has agreed to settle the lawsuit, paying USD 90,000 in monetary relief. The settlement also includes a consent decree requiring the company to review its harassment and retaliation policies, train its employees on national origin harassment and retaliation, and provide reports on those trainings, policy modifications, and any complaints.
“Regardless of their country of origin, workers need to be treated equally in the workplace, and employers have an obligation to protect their employees from harassment,” said Mary O’Neill, a regional attorney for the EEOC Phoenix District Office. “We are pleased Landry’s decided to work cooperatively with the EEOC to resolve the case, and we will keep enforcing federal laws against national origin harassment and retaliation.”
The settlement announcement comes shortly after Landry’s CEO and owner Tilman Fertitta was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the nation’s new ambassador to Italy and San Marino. Fertitta’s forthcoming nomination was first announced by then U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in December 2024.
Fertitta has vowed to divest himself from the more than 600 restaurants and businesses he owns; in addition to Landry’s, Fertitta owned Morton’s Steakhouse, Joe’s Crab Shack, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, and the Rainforest Cafe. He will remain the owner of the National Basketball Association’s Houston Rockets.
