Woman fired from SF Whole Foods after reporting sexual harassment, lawsuit claims

Employees sit outside Whole Foods Market on the corner of Market St. and Dolores St. in San Francisco, CA Friday, November 1, 2013. A former cashier at a Whole Foods Market on California and Franklin streets in San Francisco says she was sexually harassed by her male supervisor and terminated days after reporting the man's behavior to management, a new lawsuit alleges. less Employees sit outside Whole Foods Market on the corner of Market St. and Dolores St. in San Francisco, CA Friday, November 1, 2013. A former cashier at a Whole Foods Market on California and Franklin streets ... more Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle Photo: Michael Short, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Woman fired from SF Whole Foods after reporting sexual harassment, lawsuit claims 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A former cashier at a San Francisco Whole Foods Market says she was sexually harassed by her male supervisor and terminated days after reporting the man's behavior to management, a lawsuit alleges.

The woman worked at the Whole Foods on Franklin and California streets from October to December of this year. Within the first week of employment, her shift supervisor began making inappropriate sexual remarks, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in San Francisco County Superior Court.

Whole Foods, which was acquired last year by e-commerce giant Amazon, did not respond to requests for comment.

In one instance, the supervisor allegedly sent the plaintiff home because her clothing was "not revealing enough." The lawsuit also claims he routinely called the plaintiff "little girl," offered financial assistance and gifts, and touched her on the waist and shoulder without consent. The plaintiff alleges he professed his love for her and his desire to "make love" to her.

The plaintiff said she repeatedly asked her supervisor to refrain from making inappropriate comments and reported his behavior to management "several times."

According to the complaint, management took no action in response to the plaintiff's reports. The lawsuit says she made an additional complaint to a supervisor on Oct. 8 and was suspended a day later. The suit says the company terminated her employment on Oct. 12.

Some of the reasons given for her termination in the lawsuit include her failure to report the harassment in a "timely fashion" and her acceptance of a bottle of alcohol as a gift from the defendant. The plaintiff is under the age of 21.

The plaintiff is suing the supervisor and Whole Foods for sexual harassment, the intentional infliction of emotional distress, unlawful retaliation, discrimination based on gender and wrongful discharge.

Read Michelle Robertson's latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.

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