CHARLESTON -- Three Shoney's employees are suing the restaurant after they claim they were sexually harassed and assaulted by another employee.
Bobby Moss, the employee the plaintiffs claim sexually harassed and assaulted them, was also named as a defendant in the suits.
Erica Johnson, Mary Robinson and Kelli Ward work at Shoney's as waitresses in its Dunbar location, according to three complaints filed Oct. 17 in Kanawha Circuit Court.
The women claim during their employments, Moss repeatedly sexually harassed them and created a hostile work environment by requesting sexual favors, requesting them to perform sexual acts, making abusive sexual comments, repeatedly talking about his sexual desires and improperly grabbing and touching their bodies in an unwelcome fashion.
Despite repeatedly complaining to management about the harassment, Shoney's failed to do anything about the sexual misconduct, according to the suits.
The women claim they were subjected to continued workplace harassment and sexual assault in the form of abusive and obscene comments, degrading comments and illegal touching and grabbing.
The defendants knowingly failed to correct the hostile work environment, despite repeated requests and complaints by the three women, according to the suits.
Johnson, Robinson and Ward are seeking punitive damages with pre- and post-judgment interest. They are being represented by John W. Alderman III.
The cases has been assigned to Circuit Judges Jennifer Bailey, Charles E. King and Paul Zakaib Jr.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 11-C-1856, 11-C-1857, 11-C-1858