PINELLAS COUNTY, FL.- A lawsuit accuses a local consumer goods company of hiring employees with limited or no authorization to work in the United States, then tolerating a manager who asserted sexual harassment against this vulnerable class.
In Weyni Hadera v PCP Group, LLC, the plaintiff was a warehouse and packaging employee at the defendant’s Clearwater location.
She was initially employed during December 2015 and accuses PCP Group’s manager, referred to as “Kashay” of persisting with unwanted sexual advances and eventually illegally firing her in August 2018.
The suit claims the sexual harassment began during 2017 and states, “Kashay made unwanted sexual advances on other females, including those who were especially vulnerable due to legal restrictions on their ability to work in the United States. Kashay had a reputation for and practice of seeking sexual relations from defendant’s female employees and was aided in doing so by his managerial status.”
It is alleged that when Hadera rejected Kashay’s sexual advances, he then assigned her to intense manual labor including lifting heavy objects. When Hadera became aware she was pregnant, she notified a team leader, but Kashay allegedly refused to arrange for accommodations or assistance and expected her to continue lifting heavy objects.
The suit claims that Kashay’s decision caused Hadera to miscarry on July 24, 2018. The lawsuit does not indicate or exhibit a physician’s statement confirming this claim, and her attorney did not respond to an inquiry.
To complicate matters, Kashay allegedly engaged in a sexual relationship with another named employee in the suit, whom he used to threaten and abuse Hadera.
It began with Kashay’s sexual partner being told to instruct Hadera on her work, even though she was not Hadera’s supervisor. It ended with Kashay’s sexual partner physically assaulting Hadera, which resulted in Hadera receiving a three-day suspension.
But team leaders of the company approached Kashay and stated Hadera was not the instigator of the fight, which then led Kashay to suspend his sexual partner. Upon her suspension, she waited in the parking lot for Hadera to come outside, then assaulted her again.
She followed Hadera as she was driving home, but Hadera contacted the police, who instructed her to return to PCP Group. This prompted Kashay’s sexual partner to stop stalking Hadera.
When Hadera arrived back at the company, Kashay fired her in the presence of law enforcement. However, the suit does not explain the reaction of police officers on the scene.
The lawsuit cites several violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act, including among others, stalking, creating a sexually hostile work environment, materially adverse working conditions based on Hadera’s pregnancy, retaliation, unlawful termination, and physical assault.
The Plaintiff’s attorney is Craig L. Berman in St. Petersburg. A call to PCP Group to inquire about “Kashay’s” employment status produced only voicemail. The plaintiff could not be reached for comment.
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