Former female workers of a McDonald’s located in Mason, Michigan recently filed a class-action lawsuit against a store manager for sexual harassment. The McDonald’s franchisee agreed Monday to a settlement where they will pay $1.5  million to 100 female workers.

In November of 2019 Jenna Ries, a former employee, filed the original lawsuit. In the complaint filed Ries named McDonald’s the corporation and the Mason franchisee as defendants. McDonalds sought to be removed from the case because it did not directly employ the store manager or the women. McDonald’s also suggested that it was therefore not responsible for the manager’s conduct toward the women.

In December 2019 the district court judge dismissed  the claims against the McDonald’s Corporation stating that under federal and state anti-discrimination laws McDonald’s could not be held liable because Ries and three other women were employed by the franchise and not the  corporation.  This left the franchisee as the only defendant.

The district court judge after removing the McDonald’s Corporation dealt with the claims brought against the franchisee. The franchisee moved partial summary judgement.The judge stated that  he: “den[ied] the motion in all respects but one: Plaintiffs’ request for injunctive relief is moot. Otherwise, Plaintiffs’ claims against Franchise Defendants can proceed.”

The district judge on December 29, 2019 allowed the case to be heard as a class actions.