A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a local Italian restaurant, alleging severe and pervasive sexual harassment. Jordan Graham filed the complaint on June 6, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Abruzzi’s Italian Cucina and its owners, Amato and Beverly Pasquarelli.
The lawsuit outlines a series of disturbing allegations that began shortly after Graham started working at Abruzzi’s in July 2017. Initially hired at the takeout counter for $8 an hour, Graham eventually took on multiple roles, including cook, hostess, and closing manager. The complaint alleges that from May 18, 2021, Amato Pasquarelli began making inappropriate comments and non-consensual physical advances towards her. On one occasion, he allegedly told her she looked beautiful and commented that "the boys are going to jump out of the bushes for [her]." This was followed by repeated instances where he grabbed or slapped her buttocks.
Graham claims that despite reporting these incidents to close friends and colleagues within the restaurant, no action was taken to address her concerns. The harassment allegedly continued even after she briefly left Abruzzi’s for another job in October 2021 but returned two months later. The complaint details further incidents where Amato Pasquarelli continued his inappropriate behavior, including calling Graham "sexy" and touching her non-consensually multiple times daily leading up to April 2022.
The lawsuit also mentions another co-worker known as "Ben," who would put his arm around Graham and rub her shoulders without consent. In addition to physical harassment, there were also instances where Amato Pasquarelli made lewd comments about Graham's personal life. Despite numerous complaints to management-level employees like Beverly Pasquarelli and other staff members such as bar manager Sharon Thomas, no corrective actions were taken.
Graham's ordeal culminated on May 3, 2022, when she quit her job following yet another incident of non-consensual touching by Amato Pasquarelli upon returning from vacation. She asserts that this final indignity was too much to bear in an already hostile work environment.
In seeking justice through the court system, Graham has accused Abruzzi’s Italian Cucina of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act by creating a sexually hostile work environment. She is asking for judgment against Abruzzi’s in an amount exceeding the mandatory arbitration limit along with damages, reasonable attorneys’ fees, and costs.
Representing Jordan Graham are attorneys D. Robert Marion Jr., Esq., and Brian D. Farrington Esq., from Charlton Law based in Sarver, PA. The case has been assigned Case ID: 2:24-cv-00821-WSS with Judge WSS presiding over it.