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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reached settlements last week in two federal discrimination cases—one against Morton Salt Inc. over alleged retaliation and racial bias, and the other against Wall Street Grill, a fine dining restaurant in New York, accused of turning a blind eye to rampant sexual harassment in its kitchen.

The EEOC discrimination settlements stem from lawsuits filed in September, with both companies agreeing to court-approved consent decrees. Morton Salt will pay $75,000 to a former worker in Ohio, while Wall Street Grill has agreed to $45,000 in damages to resolve a case in New York federal court.

Morton Salt: Retaliation and Disability Discrimination

The EEOC alleged that Daryl Dorsey, a Black laborer with a form of inflammatory arthritis, was retaliated against and ultimately fired after reporting racially offensive comments made by a white coworker. That same employee had previously been terminated for harassment but was later rehired, according to the lawsuit.

Dorsey’s complaints included allegations that the coworker implied Black employees were “slow and stupid” and tampered with his car brakes. Instead of investigating, Morton Salt allegedly penalized Dorsey with a poor performance review and later fired him in September 2022, following contact from the state’s worker compensation agency about a prior injury evaluation.

Under the consent decree, Morton Salt will pay $15,000 in lost wages and $60,000 in damages to Dorsey, and commit to revising anti-discrimination policies and enhancing training at its Rittman, Ohio facility. The company will also provide new channels—such as a hotline and email—for employees to report workplace misconduct.

Wall Street Grill: Tolerance of Sexual Harassment

In New York, the EEOC filed suit on behalf of Alina Cuetlatch, a former pastry cook at Wall Street Grill who endured persistent sexual harassment from male coworkers. According to the complaint, male staff routinely made crude jokes, mimicked sexual acts using vegetables, watched pornography in the kitchen, and subjected Cuetlatch to non-consensual touching and sabotage after she rejected romantic advances.

When she brought her complaints to the executive chef, the agency says her concerns were ignored. The work environment eventually became so intolerable that Cuetlatch resigned in August 2022.

As part of its settlement, Wall Street Grill will pay $45,000 in damages and overhaul its workplace policies. The new anti-harassment guidelines will be distributed in both English and Spanish, and the owner will deliver an annual video message emphasizing the company’s zero-tolerance stance on harassment. All staff will be required to attend sexual harassment training.

Wall Street Grill’s attorney, Keith Gutstein of Kaufman Dolowich LLP, said the restaurant denies the EEOC’s allegations but resolved the matter “in full compliance with the law.”

The EEOC declined to comment. Morton Salt has not responded to requests for a statement.

Case Information

• EEOC v. KTG Hospitality, LLC (Wall Street Grill), Case No. 1:24-cv-07376, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

• EEOC v. Morton Salt, Inc., Case No. 1:24-cv-01689, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

The EEOC is represented by in-house counsel Cara B. Chomski, Kimberly A. Cruz, Debra Lawrence, Kate Northrup, and Sabrina Brown. Morton Salt is represented by Brad Bacon and Patrick O’Keefe Peters of Jackson Lewis, while Wall Street Grill is represented by Keith Gutstein.