NEW ORLEANS - A Waffle House worker has filed a lawsuit that claims her night supervisor threatened to injure her with a knife if she reported his sexual harassing behavior.
Claiming sexual harassment, sexual battery and retaliation, Charmaine Anderson filed suit against Waffle House Inc. and Donald Ballard, individually and in his official capacity as supervisor of/and Waffle House Inc. on Sept. 14 in federal court in New Orleans.
Anderson states that she was hired by Waffle House in July 2005. According to the lawsuit, she filed a sexual discrimination charge against Ballard after he threatened to injure her with a large knife if she reported him for sexual harassment.
The lawsuit states that Ballard was arrested by the Slidell Police Department and pleaded guilty to making threats on Anderson's life.
She claims she was terminated for violation of Waffle House's attendance control policy on Jan. 4, 2012.
She also claims she took a morning off to register her son for high school and brought a note from the school, but the note was not accepted by the defendant.
The defendant is accused of violating of Anderson's civil rights and violating Louisiana state laws.
Anderson further seeks damages on claims of sexual assault, assault, threats of bodily harm, maintaining a hostile work environment for women, retaliatory termination, negligent hiring and screening, failure to monitor, investigate, and to implement proper training sexual harassment policy for its employees, and failing to do a proper investigation.
The plaintiff is seeking damages for wages, pension, lost benefits, compensatory damages, punitive damages, court costs, mental anguish, humiliation, court costs, and attorney's fees.
Anderson is represented by Metairie attorney Glenn C. McGovern. A jury trial is requested.
U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier is assigned to the case.
Case No. 2:12-cv-02282