She was harassed, assaulted, then fired from Conway SC Arby’s, suit says
A former employee at an Arby’s in Conway was subjected to unwanted sexual advances by a supervisor for weeks before being assaulted and fired, according to a recent lawsuit filing.
Ashley Dozier filed suit against AES Restaurant Group, which owns more than 200 Arby’s restaurants across the country, including the one at 1616 Church St., where Dozier was hired during Oct. 2023.
David Early, Chief People Officer for the group, told The Sun News that the company takes these allegations very seriously and cooperated with an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission investigation that previously took place, but declined to comment further due to the active lawsuit.
Shortly before hiring Dozier, the restaurant hired a male kitchen shift manager/trainer, listed in the complaint as JB, despite a lengthy criminal history that included convictions for weapons sales, armed robbery, hit and run, resisting arrest and assaulting an officer, according to the suit.
Dozier reported to training with JB, who quickly objectified her, asked for her phone number and began making crude, sexual comments toward her, the complaint states.
Superiors told Dozier that JB was just joking and to ignore him — despite knowing he regularly drank alcohol on the job and brought a gun to work — but the verbal harassment turned to unwanted touching after about a week, according to the suit.
On Nov. 2, 2023, JB picked Dozier up from behind, slapped her on the head, touched her stomach and began pushing her around the kitchen, the complaint states. When Dozier began defending herself, JB punched her in the face, injuring her jaw and threatened to shoot her and her baby’s father, showing her his pistol in his backpack.
“(Dozier) feared for her life,” the lawsuit states. “She thought, ‘I am going to die in the back of an Arby’s.’”
Dozier then called police, who arrested JB after he fled the restaurant and had a violent interaction with an officer, according to the complaint.
Dozier was fired after the altercation. She’s seeking a judge to award her unspecified financial compensation for loss of income and other punitive damages.
