Taxi’s Hamburgers In Dublin Charged With Sexual Harassment, Obscene Conduct

Taxi’s Hamburgers located in Dublin, CA were served today with a lawsuit by former employee Joanne Cole alleging sexual harassment, sexual assault, discrimination and retaliation. The lawsuit filed by Joanne Cole in Alameda Superior Court, alleges that while she worked for Taxi’s Hamburgers in Dublin, she was subjected to ongoing sexual harassment, sexual assault and discrimination, and upon complaining of the unlawful behavior, nothing was done. The lawsuit alleges that a Taxi’s supervisor directly observed Joanne Cole being assaulted by another co-worker who was by biting her lips and back while she fought him off telling him to stop. The supervisor did nothing after seeing the assault occur and instead turned his attention back to the television program he was watching.

The allegations state that Ms. Cole was subjected to lewd and lascivious gestures by other male employees including gesturing to their penises to simulate masturbation and holding a hotdog to their lower extremities as if it was a penis and gesturing to female employees. Ms. Cole was also repeatedly bitten on the lips and back by another male co-worker. The same co-worker was observed sitting outside her residence one night after he had assaulted her. Ms. Cole was frightened for her safety. When management did nothing to stop such lewd and lascivious conduct and sexual assaults, Ms. Cole called the police. When officers responded, they observed bite marks and bleeding on Ms. Cole’s lips and back. The officers took pictures and recorded their observations.

Taxi’s Hamburgers took no action against the perpetrator and he continued to work at the restaurant. Ms. Cole having suffered repeated assaults and observed the perpetrator watching her residence did not return to work out of fear for her safety.

The officers from the Dublin police department ultimately arrested the perpetrator. He was subsequently convicted in Superior Court of California, County of Alameda of an assault likely to cause great bodily harm, violation of Penal Code section 245 (a)(1) .

Attorneys for Ms. Cole, Wendy Musell and Elisa Stewart of Stewart and Musell stated, “The repeated assaults against Ms. Cole could have been stopped by Taxi’s Restaurant. Instead, management of Taxi’s Restaurant showed a shocking lack of concern for worker safety and California law and protected the abuser. After watching Ms. Cole be assaulted, Taxi’s continued to act as if it was business as usual.”