An ex-manager at Justin Timberlake’s barbecue restaurant in New York has filed a suit against the company saying she was sexually harassed while at work.
Alison McDaniel says she was forced to watch porn in a locked office at Southern Hospitality by Timberlake’s business partners Eytan Sugarman and Ronnie Kaplan and that they made fun of her when she broke down in tears.
The lawsuit states, “One or more of Southern Hospitality’s owners and/or executive managers bullied, degraded, harassed and ultimately discharged MCDaniel… because of her gender. In at least one instance, defendants Sugarman and Kaplan viewed… pornography while in a locked room with MCDaniel and made fun of her when she began crying.”
A representative for the restaurant says, “We will vigorously defend any allegations of wrongdoing or improper behavior.” JT must be pissed about this one. Although it has nothing to do with him per say, JT certainly hates negative publicity associated with his name.
The suit was filed in Manhattan Supreme Court and claims that McDaniel was fired after she complained of the harassment in writing. She did not report the alleged discrimination to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission before filing the suit, reports the New York Daily News .
The restaurant was also sued in November by a busboy who said employees were not getting paid sufficient overtime or tips that were due to them.