Panda Express Employee Files Lawsuit After Allegedly Being Pressured To Strip During Seminar

A former employee based at a Panda Express in Southern California is suing the restaurant chain after allegedly being pressured to stripping down to her underwear during a “trust-building” exercise at a “self-improvement” seminar.

Jennifer Spargifiore, who worked at a Panda Express in Santa Clarita, California, from August 2016 to July 2019 has filed a civil complaint against the restaurant and Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy, which ran the seminar, NBC News reported.

The incident took place on July 13, 2019, when Spargifiore felt forced to participate in an“‘exercise’ wherein she was forced to strip down to her underwear under the guise of ‘trust-building.”

The complaint claims the 23-year-old “stripped almost naked in front of strangers and co-workers – was extremely uncomfortable but pressed on because she knew it was her only chance at a promotion.”

“Meanwhile, Alive Seminars staff were openly ogling the women in their state of undress, smiling, and laughing.”

Attending some of the seminars were allegedly considered “a prerequisite to promotion” and required employees to give their work ID numbers so the fees for the seminar could be deducted from their paychecks.

In the lawsuit, Spargifiore claimed the sessions were “bizarre and quickly devolved into psychological abuse.” The woman also suggested the seminar resembled more of a “cult initiation ritual as time went on.”

Upon her arrival to the seminar, Spargifiore had her cellphone taken away and was trapped in a room dark room with other Panda Express employees as a seminar leader yelled at them, the Washington Post reports.

A spokesperson from the parent company, Panda Restaurant Group, told the publication that it has launched an investigation into the incident.

“We do not condone the kind of behavior described in the lawsuit, and it is deeply concerning to us. We are committed to providing a safe environment for all associates and stand behind our core values to treat each person with respect,” the statement said.

Spargifiore is suing Panda Express and Alive Seminars and Coaching Academy for sexual battery, hostile work environment harassment, and failure to prevent harassment, among other complaints.