Current:Home > NewsMcDonald’s franchisee agrees to pay $4.4M after manager sexually assaulted teen -ForexStream
McDonald’s franchisee agrees to pay $4.4M after manager sexually assaulted teen
View
Date:2025-04-14 04:54:03
A franchisee of fast food giant McDonald’s has agreed to pay a teenage girl $4.4 million to settle her lawsuit over having been sexually assaulted by a Pittsburgh-area restaurant manager who was a registered sex offender, the victim’s lawyers announced on Monday.
The deal between the girl, who was 14 at the time of the 2021 sexual assault, and McDonald’s franchisee Rice Enterprises LLC, compensates her for the attack by Walter A. Garner in the restaurant bathroom.
At the time, Garner, now 44, had served prison time and was listed on the Megan’s Law website for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
Garner pleaded guilty in 2021 to statutory sexual assault, indecent assault and other charges for the McDonald’s assault and is serving a state prison sentence. A message seeking comment was left Monday for the public defenders who represented him in that case and in the 2003 case that was resolved with a guilty plea to aggravated indecent assault and other charges.
The lawsuit helped prompt an October 2021 strike by workers in 12 U.S. cities, an effort to get the company to better address what they described as an ongoing problem of sexual harassment and violence in McDonald’s stores.
Through a McDonald’s spokesperson, Rice Enterprises said it fired Garner as soon as they learned of the allegations against him in 2021.
“Since then, we’ve redoubled our efforts to ensure a positive and respectful experience for all employees in our restaurants, and our organization maintains a zero-tolerance policy for harassment of any kind,” Rice Enterprises said in the emailed statement. The company said it puts new hires through “safe and respectful workplace training” and has enhanced security.
The employee was 14 when she began working at a McDonald’s in Bethel Park in October 2020. She said she had no training on sexual harassment or how to report it. Garner made sexual comments to her and touched her inappropriately before the bathroom sexual assault in mid-February 2021, according to the lawsuit.
Garner was arrested in April 2021 after another McDonald’s employee told administrators at her school about his behavior and police were called, the lawsuit said.
Lawyer Alan Perer, who represents the girl and her parents in the Allegheny County civil litigation, said he questions how a sex offender was hired to manage girls of high school age.
“For a company to allow a known sex offender to have access to and control over young teens turns America’s best first job into a nightmare for those teens,” Perer said in a release.
McDonald’s USA called the girl’s assault deeply troubling, issuing a statement that said violence and sexual harassment are completely unacceptable. The company said it is committed to providing franchisees with training resources to help prevent harassment.
veryGood! (83119)
Related
- The FBI should have done more to collect intelligence before the Capitol riot, watchdog finds
- Kylie Jenner Makes Paris Fashion Week Modeling Debut in Rare Return to Runway
- Chemical smoke spewing from a Georgia factory is projected to spread toward Atlanta as winds shift
- Hurricanes like Helene are deadly when they strike and keep killing for years to come
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Carlos Alcaraz fights back to beat Jannik Sinner in China Open final
- Doctor charged in connection with Matthew Perry’s death is expected to plead guilty
- As dockworkers walk out in massive port strike, the White House weighs in
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Dockworkers join other unions in trying to fend off automation, or minimize the impact
Ranking
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Land Rover updates names, changes approach to new product lines
- Superman’s David Corenswet Details His Weight Gain Transformation for Role
- Hawaii’s popular Kalalau Trail reopens after norovirus outbreak
- Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
- American Idol Reveals First Look at New Judge Carrie Underwood
- Lauryn Hill Sued for Fraud and Breach of Contract by Fugees Bandmate Pras Michel
- 11 workers at a Tennessee factory were swept away in Hurricane Helene flooding. Only 5 were rescued
Recommendation
Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
Best Early Prime Day Pet Deals: Unleash 60% Off Dog Seat Belts, Cologne, Brushes & More as Low as $4.49
Mark Estes Breaks Silence on Kristin Cavallari Split
Man gets nearly 2-year prison sentence in connection with arson case at Grand Canyon National Park
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Carrie Underwood Reveals Son's Priceless Reaction to Her American Idol Gig
Federal appeals court rejects Alex Murdaugh’s appeal that his 40-year theft sentence is too harsh
Caitlin O'Connor and Joe Manganiello’s Relationship Started With a Winning Meet Cute