The attorney for Waffle House CEO Joe Rogers denies allegations by a former employee that she was routinely forced to perform sexual acts to keep her job.
The woman, whose name is being withheld because she is an alleged victim of sexual harassment, told Atlanta police in late September that the unwanted advances began soon after she was hired in 2003.
No charges have been filed against Rogers. Atlanta police say the allegations are still under investigation.
In the incident report she filed Sept. 28, the woman told Atlanta police that Rogers required her to give him massages and that the harassment escalated from there.
Rogers’ attorney, Robert Ingram, said the accusations are “not accurate.”
Ingram said his client filed suit against the woman on Sept. 14 — two weeks before she filed a complaint with police. Documents in the lawsuit have been sealed and both sides agreed not to discuss any details.
Ingram said he is seeking guidance from the judge on whether he can speak to the media about the details of the case, and hopes he’ll be allowed to mount a public defense of Rogers.
His accuser, who described herself as a single mother in the criminal complaint, sued Rogers on Sept. 19. Ingram said the woman subsequently withdrew the suit, which contained allegations similar to what she told Atlanta police.
The woman’s attorney, David Cohen, said the lawsuit is being refiled in Cobb County. He did not comment on any details of the case.
The woman told police she worked for Rogers until May 2012. She also told police that she endured the situation for a number of years “because she could not find work of comparable pay … [and] because her child’s father abandoned them.”
About the Author
