“All These Girls Want Me” – says Michigan Food Company Owner
There are at least a few "girls" who disagree with Michael Potter and now, so does the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
Here we are, almost post-pandemic and the year 2022 and this is still happening? When does it go from being inappropriate and "locker room" to the point of harassment? We may find out as this lawsuit makes its way through the court.
Eden Foods of Clinton Michigan and started as a food co-op back in the sixties (think - hippie food/co-op) sees its owner Michael Potter being sued by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
According to numerous complaints filed with HR, the owner quote: “routinely touched and invaded the personal space of female employees” including, but not limited to - rubbing their backs, kissing their heads, and “repeatedly brushing up against them, for up to hours at a time.”
Hours at a time? How did he find time to run the company? The lawsuit also says this has been going on since at least 2017 and when HR sat the owner down to ask him about the allegations he said quote: "All these girls want me."
The lawsuit also notes from the lawyers that there are two things that make this tough.
1st - The EEOC cannot press charges or sue Potter directly.
2nd - It's made even "tougher when the owner of the company" is the accused.
The lawsuit was filed last week, there will be motions and depositions and salacious details. There will be victim shaming, there will emphatic denials and there will be lawyers getting filthy rich. Remember too, this is not a criminal trial. The EEOC is the arm of the federal government created to help victims who otherwise would get run over by bad bosses, but hold no criminal charges will ever be filed.
The only thing we know for sure is the people who filed the lawsuit are marked and the person accused is sure "All these girls want me" and even if the owner pays out money the root of the problem is still not being addressed.