Kentucky Fried Chicken to Pay $200,000 for EEOC Sexual Harassment and Retaliation Charge

MIAMI – Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation (KFC) agreed to conciliate a sexual hostile work environment and retaliation charge involving two employees at an Orlando KFC location with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

During the EEOC’s charge investigation, the agency found reasonable cause to believe KFC violated federal law by subjecting an employee to a sexually hostile work environment and then firing her in January 2022 in retaliation for objecting to the sexual harassment. The investigation also identified a second affected employee.

“Every employee deserves a workplace free from harassment, discrimination and retaliation,” said Kristen Foslid, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Miami District. “By resolving this matter, the EEOC is ensuring that these workers receive justice, and that KFC implements measures to prevent future misconduct.”

This kind of alleged conduct by an employer violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual harassment, and retaliation.

Following the EEOC’s cause determination, the parties successfully engaged in the EEOC’s pre-litigation conciliation process. As part of the resolution, KFC agreed to pay $100,000 to each employee, representing compensatory and punitive damages. In addition, KFC will implement annual training on sex discrimination for employees, human resources and management staff. In addition, KFC will revise its employment policies to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex and report on any future complaints of sex discrimination for a period of three years.

EEOC Miami District Director Evangeline Hawthorne said, “This resolution underscores the importance of strong policies, thorough investigations, and swift corrective action to ensure that all employees are safe and respected. We are pleased that KFC has committed to preventing and addressing sex discrimination, including training its decision makers to ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations.”

For more information on sexual harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/sexual-harassment. For more information on retaliation, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation. For more information on the EEOC’s Youth@Work initiative, including educational resources for young workers, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/youth.

The Miami District Office’s jurisdiction includes Florida, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

The EEOC is the sole federal agency authorized to investigate and litigate against businesses and other private sector employers for violations of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. For public sector employers, the EEOC shares jurisdiction with the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division; the EEOC is responsible for investigating charges against state and local government employers before referring them to DOJ for potential litigation. The EEOC also is responsible for coordinating the federal government’s employment antidiscrimination effort. More information is available at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.