A Texas man has reportedly settled a class action lawsuit against Hooters for refusing to hire men as food servers.
Nikolai Grushevski filed a complaint against Hooters of America in January alleging its Corpus Christi franchisee would not hire him as a waiter because the position was being limited to females by an employer "who merely wishes to exploit female sexuality as a marketing tool to attract customers and insure profitability."
Hooters argued a “bona-fide occupational qualification” defense, which applies when the “essence of the business operation would be undermined if the business eliminated its discriminatory policy,” according to Onpointnews.com.
“If we lose this go around, you can next expect hairy-legged guys in the Rockettes to line up and male models in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue." Hooters' vice president of marketing said, according to Onpointnews.com.
But the website reported that court records show that Grushevski and Hooters reached a confidential settlement on April 13.
Grushevski was suing on behalf of “all males across the country who applied for the position of waiter at a Hooters restaurant and were denied,” and suggested all Hooters franchisees be certified as defendants, Onpointnews.com reported. The settlement however applies only to the Corpus Christi franchisee.
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