An Orlando ‘Restaurant Row’ fine-dining staple pays $80,000 to end sex harassment suit
An Orlando restaurant institution is paying $80,000 in back pay and damages to a former bartender who said she was repeatedly sexually harassed, including being trapped behind the bar against her will, and fired in retaliation when she complained to the owner.
The settlement allows Christini’s Ristorante Italiano and owner Chris Christakos aka Chris Christini to officially deny all the allegations in the EEOC suit, which include Christini telling Jameslyn Marcisz to “get the f--- out of [his] restaurant” as he fired her. This also avoids a federal court civil trial and all the negative publicity that might bring a well-known part of Orlando’s “Restaurant Row.”
What it’ll cost Christini’s aside from legal fees: $10,000 in back pay to Marcisz and $70,000 in compensatory and punitive damages. And, if contacted as a job reference, Christini’s must respond with a letter that states only her dates of employment and that she’s eligible to be rehired.
In addition, the owner and employees must undergo company-funded training sessions defining a “sexually hostile work environment,” how to prevent that and how to handle complaints.
The suit filed by the EEOC on Marcisz’s behalf claims she began getting “unwelcome, sexually charged comments” from Christini and other restaurant management throughout the 19 months she worked at Christini’s.
Also, the suit claims the married bartender was “repeatedly propositioned to go out on dates” and was “described to patrons as single and available to be taken out by them on dates.” She claims she was also told to don “sexy” and “date ready” attire for shifts at the fine-dining restaurant.
When she complained to Christini on March 10, 2017, the suit claimed, he fired her that day and told her to “get the f--- out of [his] restaurant.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2019 at 11:52 AM.
