CHARLESTON – A Burger King franchisee is being sued in two separate lawsuits alleging there was a hostile work environment and sexual harassment at two of its locations.
Plaintiffs Kenna Bishop and Amanda Salmons filed their complaints in Kanawha Circuit Court against Ampler Restaurant Group dba Burger King. Each plaintiff named different individual defendants in their complaints as well.
Bishop worked at the Elkview location. She was a high school student.
In Bishop’s complaint, she says fellow crew member Robert “Bob” Falls placed his open hand on her buttocks. Despite reporting Falls’ actions to store manager Sheila Spaulding and regional manager Teresa Stephens and shift manager Leslie McLaughlin, Bishop says no action was taken to protect her and other young female employees from Falls.
She also says Falls, who is in his sixties, “has an internet presence through which he identifies himself as Dark Master Bob … and DarkMasterCRW.” His work nametag read, “Master Bob.”
“He openly embraces the web presence and makes it known that he ‘enjoys having a woman under his leash,’ ‘lives for male supremacy,’ and ‘enjoys having a sl*t under his servitude,’” the complaint says of Falls. “He also makes clear that he seeks out and has sex with teenage girls. In one video he posted … he displays a closeup video of him having sex with a young woman.
“He further declared that he wants to start a sex farm with four slaves with a young one ‘for breeding.’”
“If your looking for a husben your on the wrong sight,” he attempted to write online. “Also I now work for Burger King at the elkview crossing mall so its ez to meet up.”
In addition, Bishop says she was exposed to a sexually charged environment by other employees and managers. She says crew members openly discussed their sexual experiences, desires, taste in pornography, making crude comments about customers and sexual fantasies about customers.
The complaint says Falls resumed working at the restaurant after taking some time off during the COVID pandemic. His son, another crew member, warned Bishop his father was a “pervert” and “liked them young.”
In early April 2021 is when Bishop says Falls intentionally placed his open hand on her buttock and groped it. She reported the incident immediately, but she continued to be forced to work with Falls. She says a similar incident happened to another female minor’s buttocks a few days prior.
Bishop says she had no choice but to quit the job on April 14, 2021.
Salmons worked at the Corridor G location at Southridge in early 2021.
In her complaint, Salmons says supervisor Terry Parsons “subjected her to humiliating sexual harassment on a near daily basis.”
“Parsons would regularly make offensive sexual comments to Ms. Salmons, proposition Ms. Salmons and her husband (who he also supervised) to join him for group sex, demand that she show him her breasts, gesture at her with his penis, slap her bottom and grope at her vagina,” the complaint states, saying store manager Randy Vaughn and other management knew of the situation. “Defendants did not even remove Ms. Salmons from defendant Parsons’ shift.
“Her complaints were instead met only by increased harassment and disgusting behavior from defendant Parsons. …
“Parsons would also regularly unzip his pants and gesture toward Ms. Salmons with comments about his genitalia. On at least one occasion, defendant Parsons actually exposed his penis to Ms. Salmons and said, ‘Here, you can have it.’”
Salmons said Parsons once grabbed her vagina while she was bagging food for a customer.
In April 2021, Parsons learned Salmons had complained to others about him. He confronted her husband in “a loud exchange that was observed by other employees, including General Manager Randy Vaughn.”
“Mr. Salmons replied that neither he nor his wife appreciated Mr. Parsons’ putting his hands on the plaintiff,” the complaint states. “Mr. Parsons retaliated immediately telling plaintiff and her husband, ‘F--- you! I’m going to cut your f---ing hours!’”
Salmons says she had no choice but to quit the job on April 10, 2021.
Both Bishop and Salmons accuse their defendants of a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, retaliation and constructive discharge. Both say they suffered loss of dignity, embarrassment, humiliation, aggravation and emotional distress. Both seek compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney fees, court costs and other relief.
Bishop is being represented by Rodney Smith and Alex Urban of Rod Smith Law in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Tera Salango.
In their January 24 answer to Bishop’s complaint, the defendants deny the allegations. They are being represented by Larry Rector of Steptoe & Johnson’s Bridgeport office and by Gregory W. Guevara of Bose McKinney & Evans in Indianapolis.
Salmons is being represented by Smith and Urban as well as by Robert P. Lorea of Lorea Law Office in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard. The defendants have not yet filed an answer to Salmons' complaint.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 21-C-820 (Bishop) and 21-C-1160 (Salmons)