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Protocol Restaurant sued by EEOC for sexual harassment, hostile workplace

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Protocol Restaurant on Transit Road in Amherst is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for sexual harassment leading to a hostile workplace.

According to the lawsuit, Paul Pelczynski - the restaurant’s owner, president and general manager since 2016 - made unwelcome sexual advances and comments to female employees, includ­ing requests for sex; repeated invitations for drinks, dinner and sharing a hotel room; and com­ments about the bodies of female employees and customers.

The EEOC further alleges that he engaged in inappropriate contact with female employees, including grabbing their buttocks, kissing them, and routinely brushing up against them, as well as displaying porno­graphy at work and in texts.

The EEO charges that Protocol terminated female employees who objected to Pelczynski’s conduct or rejected his advances, and that other female employees quit because they could no longer endure the hostile work environment.

in a statement, the agency said the lawsuit comes only after an attempt to settle the matter with Protocol was unsuccessful. You can read the complaint below:

https://www.scribd.com/document/409441709/Protocol-Rest-1557420648913-86911862-ver1-0-1