Three employees sue Toys “R” Us for sexual harassment

HUNTINGTON – Three Toys “R” Us employees are suing the store after they claim they were sexually harassed and sexually exploited by the general manager at its Barboursville location.

Mohammad Roman, the general manager of the Barboursville Toys “R” Us, and an unknown woman and unnamed man were also named as defendants in the suit.

Tania Davis, Stephanie Dailey and Alison Turner are all employees of the Barboursville Toys “R” Us and claim that Roman sexually harassed and exploited them while on the Toys “R” Us premises during their employments, according to three complaints filed Sept. 24 in Cabell Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs claim Toys “R” Us and John Doe were deliberately indifferent to their personal safety and allowed the sexual exploitation to occur.

Toys “R” Us owed a duty to the plaintiffs to provide a safe work environment and to properly hire, train, supervise and retain its managers so as to ensure employees would not be subjected to sexual abuse, sexual harassment or other such conduct while under its employ, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs claim Toys “R” Us negligently breached its duty to provide a safe work environment by failing to see to their safety and breached its duty to properly hire, train, supervise and retain Roman.

Doe and upper-level management of Toys “R” Us were made aware that Roman was sexually exploiting the plaintiffs and failed to intervene on their behalf, knowing exposing them to a hostile work environment, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs claim Roman’s behavior was atrocious, intolerable, so extreme and outrageous to exceed the bounds of decency and so outrageous as to offend community notions of acceptable behavior.

As a result of the defendants’ actions, the plaintiffs have suffered anxiety; humiliation; annoyance and inconvenience; emotional distress; pain and suffering; mental anguish; loss of ability to enjoy life; and present and future medical expenses, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages with pre-judgment interest. They are being represented by Michael A. Woelfel.

The cases have been assigned to Circuit Judge F. Jane Hustead.

Cabell Circuit Court case number: 12-C-639, 12-C-640, 12-C-641