Granada Hills Del Taco Employee Alleges Sexual Harassment

LOS ANGELES, CA — Del Taco has obtained a court order for an independent mental exam for a former Del Taco shift leader who sued the Lake Forest-based restaurant chain, alleging she was wrongfully fired in 2022 after she reported being groped, subjected to vulgar comments and sexually propositioned by a newly hired cook.

According to the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, plaintiff Daisyrose Spradlin was fired in November 2022 in a backlash for insisting that management take action to stop to the man's behavior. She alleges her manager at the Granada Hills location repeatedly refused to hear her complaint, to review the obscene texts she received or to alert human resources.

On Monday, Del Taco lawyers convinced Judge Christopher K. Lui to direct Spradlin to undergo a psychological exam under parameters set by the judge. Although Spradlin has made her mental condition an issue, she had resisted such a mental evaluation, the defense attorneys said.

Lui initially took the case under submission after hearing arguments on Monday, but later that day ruled in favor of Del Taco.

"If plaintiff is not ordered to submit to an independent mental examination, Del Taco will be severely prejudiced and suffer irreparable harm because Del Taco will be forced at trial to defend against allegations of plaintiff's extreme emotional distress damages without the benefit of independently examining plaintiff's mental condition...," Del Taco attorneys argued in their court papers.

According to the suit, within hours of first meeting him in October 2022, the cook's allegedly predatory behavior increased to the point that he sent Spradlin inappropriate texts, photos and videos during an overnight shift.

Spradlin, 26, had just been promoted and was being trained as a new shift manager, according to her court papers, which also states that her attorney dropped the cook as a defendant in the case in March.

However, the manager of the store where she worked was worried that if he took action against the worker who was allegedly harassing the plaintiff, he might not have enough employees to keep the fast-food eatery open, the suit filed in December 2022 states.

Spradlin, who also alleges sexual harassment and battery, was told that she lost her job for a company policy violation, specifically "sexual activity" with the new employee, behavior she denies engaging in or consenting to with the man, according to the suit.

Spradlin attorney Vincent Calderone said the company's alleged mishandling of the plaintiff's complaint was noteworthy because at the time of the filing of her lawsuit Del Taco LLC was under a federal three-year consent decree to stop sexual harassment and retaliation against female employees.

The company in December 2020 paid $1.25 million in monetary relief for failing to stop the behavior as part of a settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC had filed a federal lawsuit over the company's sexually hostile work environment, which violates Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act.

The consent decree also included Del Taco handling sexual harassment incidents under the auspices of an EEO compliance officer to ensure the company follows the law.

Calderone said the company's mishandling of the complaint is noteworthy because Del Taco LLC is under a federal consent decree to stop sexual harassment and retaliation against female employees. The company in December 2020 paid $1.25 million in monetary relief for failing to stop the behavior as part of a settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC had filed a federal lawsuit over the company's sexually hostile work environment, which violates Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act.

City News Service