Cloakroom Subjects Employees to Persistent Sexual Harassment and Abuse, Steals Workers’ Wages
Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today sued Cloakroom, an adult entertainment venue, and its owners, Antonios Cavasilios and Carlos Horcasitas, for systemic violations of the District’s civil rights, employment, and consumer protection laws. As alleged in the complaint, the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) investigation found that Cloakroom and its owners have created a hostile and exploitative work environment where female employees are routinely subjected to sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, insults, and even physical assault. Additionally, club management has stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars in tips and wages from employees, denied them paid sick leave, and retaliated against those who have spoken out. One former Cloakroom manager regularly required sexual favors in exchange for unpaid leave and schedule changes.
“Cloakroom and its owners flagrantly disregard the most basic workplace protections and decencies, routinely subjecting female employees to degradation and abuse while deploying a variety of schemes to steal their pay. As the District’s independent Attorney General, we will put an end to this type of exploitative combination of sexual harassment and wage theft,” said Attorney General Schwalb. “My office will always fight for the dignity, safety, and livelihood of District workers.”
Cloakroom, located at 476 K Street Northwest, employs dozens of...
The Trump Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has made clear that it will aggressively use the False Claims Act as part of its corporate enforcement program. The message is not subtle. En...