EEOC secures consent decree, $80,000 from McDonald’s operator after alleged sexual harassment

Arch Fellow North, LLC, owner and operator of eight McDonald’s restaurants in eastern Oklahoma, will pay $80,000 and institute new anti-harassment measures under a consent decree resolving a suit brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC alleged a male supervisor sexually harassed a teenage worker in November 2021 and said the conduct amounted to sexual harassment and constructive discharge under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The EEOC filed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Arch Fellow North LLC d/b/a McDonald’s, Civil Action No. 6:23-cv-00331 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma after attempting conciliation. U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason A. Robertson entered and approved the consent decree on Jan. 28. Under the decree Arch Fellow North will pay $80,000 in monetary relief and provide a suite of injunctive and non-monetary remedies the EEOC described as aimed at preventing future harassment.

Those remedies include designating personnel to ensure compliance with Title VII, enacting stronger policies and procedures for reporting and handling sexual harassment complaints, providing mandatory training for supervisors and non-supervisory employees, posting a notice to employees about their federal right to be free from sexual harassment, offering multiple avenues for employees to complain, and reporting alleged sexual harassment to the EEOC. The EEOC framed those obligations as accountability measures for managers and shift supervisors. David Davis, district director of the EEOC’s St. Louis District Office, said, “The injunctive relief in this decree, including its mandatory training requirements, policy changes and reporting obligations, will help ensure that Arch Fellow North’s managers and supervisors are held accountable for maintaining a safe and respectful workplace.”

Law360 reported that “Arch Fellow North denies the allegations made against it by the EEOC.” The company’s denial is not included in the EEOC materials, and no public statement from Arch Fellow North or McDonald’s corporate was provided in the agency release.

For crew members and front-of-house staff, the consent decree’s provisions could mean clearer paths to report misconduct and routine training on boundaries and escalation procedures. For franchise operators and managers, the settlement underscores regulatory scrutiny and the need for documented complaint-handling and supervisory accountability. The EEOC’s requirement to designate compliance personnel and to report alleged incidents to the agency increases external oversight of workplace responses to harassment claims.

The decree resolves this specific lawsuit but leaves several practical questions unanswered in public materials, including details about discipline or whether the monetary relief will be distributed directly to the charging party. For workers and local franchisees, the settlement signals that harassment complaints can prompt federal enforcement and that corrective measures may include both payoffs and structural change in how restaurants handle complaints. Employers in the restaurant sector should take note as the industry continues to confront harassment risks among vulnerable teenage and entry-level workers.