Owner of N.S. Wendy's outlet accused of failing to protect staff from assailant
Two young women who worked at a Wendy's restaurant in Cape Breton have filed lawsuits against the owner of the fast-food outlet, alleging the company failed to protect them from a supervisor who was later convicted of sexually assaulting staff members.
The civil lawsuits say both plaintiffs were minors when the alleged offences took place in 2019 and 2020 inside a Wendy's in Sydney, N.S., owned and operated by T-Roy Enterprises Ltd.
The women allege in separate statements of claim that the company did nothing when they reported being repeatedly sexually assaulted.
One of the lawsuits was filed with the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia on March 22, and the other was submitted to the court on Thursday.
The allegations have yet to be tested in court.
The company has submitted a notice of defence denying all of the allegations contained in the first lawsuit.
The women allege the supervisor continued to work with both of them after the company was told about the alleged sexual assaults and after a complaint was filed with police.
One plaintiff alleges the supervisor continued to sexually assault her until his arrest in August 2020.
Among other things, the lawsuits allege the company failed to suitably screen or train its employees and that it failed to monitor staff to "prevent and minimize the risk of sexual assault and sexual misconduct."
In its notice of defence filed June 11, T-Roy Enterprises states that the plaintiff in the first lawsuit was the subject of a number of written warnings alleging poor performance at work.
The notice says the plaintiff was fired for just cause in August 2020. It also asks the court to dismiss the court action.
The province's Public Prosecution Service confirmed Thursday that the supervisor, identified in the lawsuits as David MacDonald, has pleaded guilty in provincial court to five counts of sexual assault against five victims.
MacDonald is scheduled to be sentenced in Sydney provincial court on Sept. 21.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.