A diner in New Jersey is getting sued by a former employee who says he dealt with homophobic treatment constantly while on the job.
According to the Courier Post, Brian Peeke worked at the Voorhees Diner for two years, and most of that time was a waking nightmare. “The situation at work was so unbearable, that he felt he had no choice but to resign,” according to a filed complaint.
Peeke joined the diner in November of 2016. For the next two years, Peeke says his coworkers “would continuously refer to complainant as ‘fa***t,’ ‘stupid fa***t’ and other derogatory remarks related to his sexual orientation,” according to the complaint.
Peeke says that he tried reporting these incidents to his superiors but no action was taken. Mark Klein, the diner owner, refutes this claim, however, and says that he tried to address the situation.
“I had a discussion with them,” Klein told the Courier Post. “I think it was one person who used to say it, and that person is no longer there.”
Despite Klein’s claims, Peeke has now filed the complaint with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office. Peeke will now be compensated with a $20,000 settlement.
This settlement was announced on Thursday along with another payout. Playa Bowls in Beach Haven has also agreed to pay a $20,000 settlement to a 16-year-old girl who claims her supervisor inappropriately touched her back and arms. The complaint also says that the supervisor asked a co-worker if the teen would have sex with him.
“In any workplace setting, people have a right to do the jobs they were hired to do without being subjected to verbal abuse, solicitations for sex, inappropriate touching, and other harassing conduct,” Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said in a release statement. “These cases should serve as a reminder to employers throughout the State that we take this issue seriously, and will hold accountable any employer who engages in, or tolerates, such harassment.”
