No stranger to publicity, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump has found herself in hot water for alleged sexual harassment at the Villa Blanca restaurant she co-owns with her husband, Ken Todd. According to former server Karina Bustillos, the restaurant’s assistant manager injured her wrist after a simple request for change, attempted to kiss her and make inappropriate comments. The alleged harassment made the work environment so toxic that Bustillos claims she was forced to quit.
Now a jury has awarded Bustillos $100,000 in punitive damages stemming from her case.
After working under the assistant manager for nearly a year and a half, Bustillos claims to no longer be able to handle the anxiety and fear of showing up for work and claims that the established violated the company’s sexual harassment policy by not taking action when complaints against the assistant manager were filed.
Karina Bustillos filed her lawsuit with the Angeles Superior Court in 2012 and was awarded over six thousand dollars in damages. In a legal move that is not unheard of by New York sexual harassment attorneys, the court found the Villa Blanca establishment liable but exonerated the accused Michael Govia of the sexual harassment charges against him personally. The Villa Blanca would pay damages owed to Bustillos without sharing liability with Vanderpump or Ken Todd. Bustillos’ legal team tried to include Vanderpump and Todd in the guilty verdict by utilizing the “alter ego” legal maneuver. The court dismissed this claim.
New Yorkers in the same position are urged to contact aNew York City sexual harassment attorney immediately.
The Derek Smith Law Group, PLLC handles a multitude of cases that involve sexual harassment in Manhattan and the greater New York City area. For further information, please feel free to call us at 800-807-2209 for a free consultation or email at dtslaws@msn.com.
