The owner of a Wisconsin restaurant is denying allegations of a sexually hostile work environment. But a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission begs to differ.

The lawsuit claims that the owner of the New Pine Ridge Restaurant in Merrill failed to put a stop to an employee's sexual harassment in the workplace. Former waitresses say that one of the cooks at the restaurant made sexually suggestive and crude remarks to waitresses, and grabbed them.

Despite the hostile work environment, the owner failed to do anything about it, the waitresses say. In addition to taking no action on their complaints, they claim they were fired out of retaliation.

The restaurant and owner deny the allegations and allege the women didn't show up to work or call after they filed complaints about the harassment. The owner also says he installed several surveillance cameras at the eatery to help address the problem.

Business has apparently gone downhill after the lawsuit was filed in federal court. The owner held a news conference recently to publicly refute the charges in the lawsuit.

A spokesperson for the EEOC says it reviewed the allegations and found the waitresses' complaints to be valid. According to Central Wisconsin Hub, the spokesman says, "You can put up all the cameras in the world but when you fire people for executing their statutory rights, then you're breaking the law."

The EEOC is seeking punitive and compensatory damages on behalf of the women.

Source: Central Wisconsin Hub, "Merrill restaurant owner denies allowing harassment," Karina Gonzalez, Aug. 31, 2011