BOSTON (Legal Newsline) — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has announced that former owners and managers of the now-closed Route 9 Diner in Hadley will pay up to $200,00 over allegations they engaged in and allowed years of sexual harassment against female employees.
“We allege that, for more than a decade, waitresses at this diner were regularly subjected to harassment, degradation, mistreatment and humiliation based on their gender, creating an unbearable and hostile work environment,” Healey said. “Our office will not tolerate anyone being sexually harassed in the workplace, and we will continue to hold accountable businesses that allow these kinds of discriminatory practices to occur.”
Former owners Christopher Karabetsos and Argiris Sideris, and former managers Dimitrios Demos and Steven Kwak, will pay $112,000 for allegedly knowing about the harassment and not putting a stop to it. Healey's office said $88,000 of the original $200,000 agreement will be suspended if they comply with the rest of the terms. The majority of the funds received will go toward victim compensation.
Under the consent judgment, Karabetsos or Sideris must post notice of the consent judgment if they open another food service establishment in the state. Additionally, they must adhere to comprehensive anti-discrimination policies and procedures and train employees on anti-discrimination laws.