Outback Steakhouse, a popular restaurant chain, has franchises in California and across the nation. On the other side of the country, Outback Steakhouse LLC is currently facing a wrongful termination suit. A former employee is alleging that, not only was he wrongfully fired by an acting manager there, he also suffered discrimination.
In addition to Outback, the suit names OS Restaurant Services LLC and the acting manager of the restaurant as defendants. The complaint, filed March 16 in circuit court, alleges that, during a staff meeting, the employee spoke up to address a concern raised by the manager. When he did so, the manager allegedly got very close to the employee’s face and called him a racial slur. Additionally, he apparently started physically poking the employee in a violent manner.
To avoid an escalation in the confrontation, the employee says that he immediately left the premises in response to this physical and verbal abuse and discrimination. On his next scheduled work day, when the employee called the restaurant to inquire about his schedule, he was told over the phone that the manager had terminated his employment. This, the suit alleges, is in violation of the West Virginia Human Rights Act.
In addition to the complaints of wrongful termination and discrimination, the suit also alleges that the manager’s actions constituted battery against the former employee. The suit seeks compensatory and punitive damages. Employees in California who have suffered similar instances of wrongful termination or employment discrimination should know that such actions are not only unconscionable but illegal, and that they have the right to seek the counsel of an attorney with experience in similar violations of employment law, who can advise them of their legal rights and possible next steps for pursuing justice.
Source: wvrecord.com, “Man accuses Outback Steakhouse of discrimination, wrongful termination“, Kyla Asbury, April 6, 2017