A Hooters waitress has filed a lawsuit against the company after she was allegedly forced to wear a wig after having brain surgery.
Sandra Lupo has sued the restaurant chain in federal court after she was approached by her managers about wearing a wig to hide her short hair and cranial scar . When she refused to wear the item in question, the 27-year-old waitress lost her job.
Lupo had been a waitress for Hooters since 2005. After discovering she had a cranial mass that needed to be removed, she took a few weeks off from her job to have the surgery.
She explained that her manager suggested she wear something to distract customers from her buzz haircut and the scar left behind from the surgery. When she was cleared by doctors to return to work, she was asked by her manager and the store’s regional manager to cover the scar with a wig.
Although Lupo worried what the wig might irritate her surgical scar, the Hooters managers insisted she wear one. When removed the item after it began irritating her scalp, she was asked to leave work. Soon the waitress discovered that her hours were being cut. Lupo later quit her job and filed the lawsuit.
The former Hooters waitress’ lawsuit states that the company violated the The Missouri Human Rights Act. Since Lupo feels that her scar was a disability, she feels that she was treated unfairly by her employer. She also stated she couldn’t receive unemployment benefits because she was forced to quit.
Hooters spokesman Scott Yates explained that the Lupo’s lawsuit is without merit. The restaurant chain also denied allegations that she was forced to wear a wig by her managers after she returned to work.
Lupo is looking to collect unspecified damages for the trouble Hooters caused. While the lawsuit was originally filed in St. Charles County Circuit Court, Hooters later requested that the case be moved to a federal court.
What do you think about the Hooters waitress who was forced to wear a wig after surgery? Do you think she will win her lawsuit against the company?
[Images via Wikimedia Commons ]
