Pizza Hut Franchisee Ayvaz to Pay $35,000 in EEOC Sex-Based Harassment and Retaliation Suit

HOUSTON - Ayvaz Pizza, LLC, doing business as Pizza Hut, which operates more than 350 Pizza Hut restaurants around the country, including multiple locations in the Houston area, will pay $35,000 and furnish other relief to settle a sex harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency announced today.

According to the EEOC's lawsuit, a former female assistant manager of a Pizza Hut restaurant in Porter, Texas was subjected to a hostile work environment by her supervisor after she broke off their romantic relationship. On Oct. 14, 2022, she complained of the harassment to the restaurant's operations manager and human resources department. Two weeks after her complaint, on Nov. 1, 2022, and despite having no negative disciplinary marks on her record, she was fired and given seven write-ups on the day of her termination.

"Employers must ensure that their human resources and management staff are effectively trained against sex discrimination and retaliation," said Claudia Molina-Antanaitis, EEOC senior trial attorney. "The training of such employees must include preventing and responding to discrimination and not punishing employees who oppose it."

This alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits retaliation and discrimination on the basis of sex. The EEOC filed suit (EEOC v. Ayvaz Pizza, LLC, d/b/a/ Pizza Hut, Civil Action No. 4:24-cv-04876) in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas after first attempting to reach prelitigation settlement through its conciliation process.

In addition to providing $35,000 in damages to the aggrieved worker, the two-year consent decree signed March 19 requires Ayvaz Pizza to provide the worker a letter of reference; update and disseminate its anti-discrimination policies; provide comprehensive anti-discrimination training to its staff; and report sex-based discrimination and harassment complaints to the EEOC.

For more information on harassment, please visit https://www.eeoc.gov/harassment . For information on retaliation, visit https://www.eeoc.gov/retaliation

The EEOC's Houston District Office has jurisdiction over Louisiana and the following counties in Texas: Angelina, Austin, Brazoria, Brazos, Calhoun, Chambers, Colorado, Fayette, Fort Bend, Galveston, Grimes, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson, Lavaca, Liberty, Madison, Matagorda, Montgomery, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler, Victoria, Walker, Waller, Washington, and Wharton.

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 also is responsible for coordinating the federal government's employment antidiscrimination effort. More information about the EEOC is available at www.eeoc.gov .