MASON, Mich. — A class-action lawsuit waged against a local McDonald's restaurant for ignoring years of sexual harassment now has the green light from a Michigan judge to payout over a million dollars to victims.
The case was first filed back in 2019 when a single worker from the McDonald’s on north Cedar Street in Mason came forward with details of how a shift manager treated her while she worked at the restaurant.
That former employee, Jenna Ries, says the man called her names, groped her breasts and private area.
She wasn't the only one.
From November 2016 to March 2019, the shift manager continued his reign of terror victimizing women and teen girls.
"It takes a really brave person to make those allegations publicly, so we definitely want to give credit to the named plaintiffs in this case who were very courageous and acted on behalf of these other survivors," said attorney Darcie Brault.
On Tuesday, Judge Hala Jarbou approved the settlement amount of $1.5 million.
The ruling marks the final step in the process of the victims getting recompensed for the sexual harassment they endured while working at the franchise.
But attorneys have been working for months to find all the victims.
"They tend to be workers who've changed their residences since they worked there or maybe got new phones and email addresses, so it does present some challenges getting a hold of people," said Brault.
Brault says 102 people worked at least one shift with the shift leader.
Of that number, 51 came forward to file claims.
Within 30 days, payments from the lawsuit will go out to victims ranging anywhere from $3,000 to $30,000 depending on the severity of the harassment.
The case was originally filed against the owners of the franchise, MLMLM, however they were released from the lawsuit in 2021.
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