Darden Restaurants Inc. (DRI) disclosed Wednesday in its quarterly report that one of its Bahama Breeze restaurants in Ohio was sued for violation of equal employment policy.
On Sept. 18, 2008, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a suit alleging that African-American employees of the Bahama Breeze restaurant in Beachwood, Ohio, were subjected to discriminatory employment practices in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
The complaint seeks to enjoin the alleged discriminatory practices and seeks compensatory damages for the employees.
Darden, which operates restaurants under the Red Lobster, Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze brand names, said it believes its practices were lawful, and it intends to vigorously defend in the suit.
-Denise Jia, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-1359; denise.jia@dowjones.com