Waffle House Chairman Joseph Rogers Jr. Accused Of Demanding Sex Acts
A former employee has claimed that Waffle House Inc. Chairman Joseph Rogers Jr. threatened to fire her if she did not perform sexual acts and that the sexual harassment lasted about a decade, the Associated Press reported.
The allegedly forced sex acts were brought to light after the woman filed a complaint with the Atlanta Police Department, AP said. According to the woman, Rogers demanded she perform sex acts on him in exchange for keeping her job from 2003 to June of this year.
While police have not confirmed the job title of the Joseph Rogers Jr. mentioned in the complaint, David Cohen, an attorney who described himself as representing the woman, told AP that the man in question was the CEO of the Norcross, Ga.-based Waffle House. AP also noted the address in the police report matches the address Rogers gave when he made contributions to Mitt Romney's unsuccessful presidential-election campaign.
Police are currently investigating the woman's claims, and no charges have been filed.
The police report said the woman alleged that Rogers insisted she perform sex acts on him at least once or twice a month and also claimed there were a number of instances involving unwanted touching, AP reported. As a single mother, the woman claimed she needed the job, which she did not quit until her son received a full scholarship to go to college in June.
Waffle House representative Pat Warner told ABCNews.com that the woman was not employed by Waffle House Inc. but employed as Rogers' housekeeper until her resignation. Warner also said that earlier this year Rogers transitioned from Waffle House chairman and CEO to company chairman.
On June 29, the woman gave Rogers a letter of resignation. According to the police report, “[S]he sent Rogers a resignation letter informing him that she could no longer suffer the indignities and dehumanization of his actions. She placed the resignation letter in Defendent's sock drawer in an effort to spare Rogers' wife from pain and humiliation.” AcworthPatch has a link to the full police report.
After the woman quit, Rogers filed a lawsuit against her on Sept. 14, and she filed a countersuit on Sept. 19, AcworthPatch reported. Both cases are currently sealed. The woman filed her complaint with the police on Sept. 28.
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