NYC chef accused of sexually harassing waitress

Employers should never look the other way if they know about a supervisor’s harassing behavior, as a recent case illustrates.

A waitress recently filed a $20 million sexual harassment lawsuit against Megu restaurant in New York City. Satomi Southward claims that chef Mitsuo Endo groped her, molested her with kitchen utensils and sexually harassed her. In the lawsuit, she says management was always present but did nothing to stop the conduct.

A criminal case also is pending against the chef for an alleged sexual assault on the waitress that occurred after the company’s year-end holiday party. Megu says it fired the chef after learning about the criminal charges.

Advice: No matter whether or not criminal charges are involved, investigate every complaint and promptly discipline harassers.