Edgewood Country Club
CHARLESTON – A former server at Edgewood Country Club claims the facility knowingly allowed a culture that enabled its executive chef and others to sexually harass and assault female employees, including minors, over several years.
Kyra Vaughan filed her complaint October 27 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Edgewood Country Club and Luis Sanchez-Toledo, who she claims sexually assaulted her in the basement of the country club during a child’s birthday party on February 24, 2024.
Vaughan is a former banquet server at the club. She says the harassment began when she began working there in 2021 at age 17, and it included being followed and filmed without permission outside of the club as well as unwanted touching, sexual comments and physical intimidation by the chef while working at the club.
Griffith
“Edgewood Country Club had every opportunity to stop this dangerous behavior before it escalated to physical assault,” attorney Travis Griffith told The West Virginia Record. “Our client is entitled to the same dignity and respect as any patron at Edgewood, and we hope that the club’s membership agrees once they see this case.”
In the complaint, Vaughan says a coworker named Rayshawn stalked her, made comments about her turning 18 and coerced her into giving him her phone number. She soon reported Rayshawn’s actions to Julius, a supervisor.
Soon, Vaughan says she learned Rayshawn worked out at the same gym she did. She was told by manager Mitch Mitchell, who replaced Julius, that Rayshawn had made a video recording of her working out.
She also says Sanchez-Toledo, who was the club’s executive chef, repeatedly sexually harassed her by making sexual comments in her presence, staring at her, putting notes on her car, making sexual hand gestures, touching her, grazing her, offering her rides in his car, asking her out to lunch and dinner as well as wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the ground.
She says she also told Julius about Sanchez-Toledo’s harassment, and it stopped for a while until Julius left the club. She then told Mitchell, who said he’d talk to Sanchez-Toledo.
“Unfortunately, defendant Sanchez-Toledo’s sexual harassment of plaintiff intensified,” the complaint states.
Vaughan says it came to a head when she was assaulted by Sanchez-Toledo during a child’s birthday party at the club on February 24, 2024. She says he actually harassed her three times that day.
In the first one, she says he offered her a piece of candy and asked her to meet him in the elevator for a “huge, kiss and ass grab.” She declined.
Then, as she was looking for party supplies near an elevator, Vaughan says Sanchez-Toledo ran up to her, grabbed her and starting pushing her to the elevator while rubbing his hands up and down her body.
“I am going to get you in there one way or another,” he allegedly told her as he pushed her toward the elevator despite her repeatedly telling him to stop. She says he continued to touch her while laughing.
And in the third incident, about 30 minutes after the second one, she says Sanchez-Toledo held food up so she couldn’t reach it in the walk-in cooler while she was getting food for the party. She says he walked toward her and said, “I’m going to tap that ass.” She left the area, and she says he followed her.
Vaughan says she reported the incidents to Mitchell, and she was asked to provide a written statement. She did so and sent it to upper management Shane Honaker. She says no action was taken against Sanchez-Toledo.
Two days later, Vaughan says she contacted Roman Stauffer, president of the club’s Board of Governors. He wanted to meet Vaughan at the club, but she said she wasn’t comfortable returning there. Two days after that, Stauffer told her Align PR would contact her about an investigation into her sexual harassment complaint against Sanchez-Toledo.
On March 1, 2024, Aimee White of Align PR contacted Vaughan to schedule a meeting. Three days later, Vaughan says she constructively discharged her employment “in light of the hostile working conditions.”
The following day, White left Vaughan a voicemail saying they no longer needed to meet because Vaughan no longer worked for the club.
The complaint also includes stories from other female employees about sexual harassment by Sanchez-Toledo.
A woman identified as B.M. says Mitchell told her to avoid Sanchez-Toledo because he was “inappropriate with females.” A month after she started working there, she says he made sexually inappropriate comments about her breasts and butt. She soon quit the job, but later returned to work. She says Sanchez-Toledo then forcefully grabbed her arm and pulled her into the freezer against her will. She says he also told her he was aware of everything going on with Vaughan and that Vaughan “wanted it.” B.M. quit working for the club a second time after that incident.
Another woman identified as K.N. says she began working there in high school, and she says Sanchez-Toledo made comments about her butt as well as the size of his penis. When K.N. turned 18, she says the conduct by Sanchez-Toledo increased.
Another woman identified as K.T. also began working at the club when she was in high school. She says she also was warned about Sanchez-Toledo. She says he invaded her space, pressed his body against her and made sexually inappropriate comments to her when she was a minor.
And another woman identified as K.W. says Sanchez-Toledo told her he was going to leave his wife and marry her. She says she saw him sexually harass Vaughan on numerous occasions, taking a “special interest” in her and flirting with her despite Vaughan’s attempts to avoid him.
When K.W. told Sanchez-Toledo to leave Vaughan alone and that she has a boyfriend, she says he told her, “Kyra is still mine. She will be my girlfriend.”
Vaughan accuses Edgewood and Sanchez-Toledo of sex-based harassment and a hostile work environment as well as constructive discharge.
She says she has suffered a loss of dignity, embarrassment, humiliation, inconvenience and emotional distress. She seeks compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interests, court costs, attorney fees and other relief.
Vaughan is being represented by Griffith with Griffith Law Center in Charleston as well as by Todd S. Bailess, Jodi R. Durham and Cory B. Lowe of Bailess Law Firm in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Richard Lindsay.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 25-C-1281
