Over a dozen employees of a Manhattan bar have been awarded $500,000 after the owner of the watering hole sexually harassed them and stole their wages, the state Attorney General announced on Wednesday.
Hakan Karamahmutoglu, the proprietor of Sweet and Vicious saloon in lower Manhattan, allegedly made unwelcome advances to his staff, while discriminating based on gender and race, said Attorney General Letitia James.
Along with 5 Spring Street Corp., the holding company managed by Karamahmutoglu, James’ office secured the half-million dollar settlement, which will be paid to the workers.
“For far too long, workers in the hospitality industry have been forced to weather a pervasive culture of sexual harassment and discrimination that has gone unreported,” James said in a statement. “Every New Yorker should be able to go to work free from fear of abuse and degradation regardless of industry.”
The 16-month investigation revealed that Karamahmutoglu had fostered a toxic culture of harassment, as he repeatedly insulted women’s appearances, and called his female employees “b––––es,” and “cows.” He would also refer to staff members using derogatory terms, such as calling Black employees “gangsters” and hispanic staffers as “Puerto Rican trash.”
On numerous occasions, the bar owner and the management staff also made advances on his employees, which they did not want.
Female employees were also forced to work under extreme conditions, such as standing on their feet for several hours, while being barred from using the restroom, the report says. Male employees were not made to do the same.
Patrons of the watering hole also engaged in disconcerting behavior, including threatening to rape them without consequences, the AG said.
For more coverage of Letitia James, head to amNY.com.
When confronted with complaints from his workers, Karamahmutoglu allegedly took no serious actions to remedy the situation, and laughed the situation off as a “misunderstanding,” the investigators said.
In addition to the harassment, workers were also often not compensated for their time on the clock, and in several instances were not given the tips left by customers on credit cards.
“Harassment and unfair treatment are very common in the restaurant and bar industry,” said Katy Guest, a former Sweet and Vicious employee. “All employees deserve to be treated with respect, both by management and their peers. This situation is certainly not the first of its kind, nor is it the last.”
“This case is emblematic of intersecting national problems: the subjugation of workers, and sexual harassment of women in the workplace,” said Veronica Leventhal, another former staffer at the saloon.
In addition to the payout to 16 former workers, the saloon will now be subject to periodic monitoring and oversight, and will be made to post anti-discrimination literature for employees and customers to see.
“After years of constant sexual harassment in the New York City bar scene and the normalization of mistreatment, it’s comforting to see women receiving exposure and justice,” said Lindsey Farrington, a third a former employee.
