A pair of California-based Asian food companies agreed to pay $245,000 to settle a class action brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of men and women claiming they were subjected to sexual harassment and retaliation, the agency announced Friday.
Pacific Culinary Group Inc. and CB Foods Inc., which are based in Monterey Park and operate as an integrated enterprise under CEO Bingham Lee, were accused of subjecting female and male workers, some of whom have limited English proficiency, to physical and verbal harassment, including groping, touching and unwelcome sexual advances.
The companies allegedly failed to take any remedial actions after receiving multiple complaints of sexual harassment, the EEOC said.
Employees who reported incidents of harassment were subject to retaliation, further harassment, discipline and, in some cases, termination, the agency said.
The EEOC sued the companies in federal court in Los Angeles in April 2023 after it was unable to reach a pre-litigation settlement.
In addition to the monetary settlement, the companies and their successor, JRC Culinary Group, agreed to revise and implement policies to provide training on discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
