Six file racial discrimination suit against restaurant

Six Harris County residents are suing over claims they were unfairly treated by their employer due to their race.

Maria Mejia, Juan Carlos Miranda, Ana Llanes, Jose Llanes, Gabriela Morales, and Jose Salazar filed a lawsuit Dec. 15, 2014, in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Aladdin Mediterranean Cuisine, citing discrimination.

According to the complaint, the plaintiffs, who are all Hispanic and from Mexico, worked in various capacities for the defendant, where they were subjected to unfair workloads, insulting language from the company's owner and racially charged profanity due to their race. Ana Llanes says she was also teased about her religion and was terminated for no reason Feb. 14, 2014, and Jose Llanes says he was terminated after complaining of the unfair treatment. Gabriela Morales says she also sustained unwanted sexual advances by the owner, including an incident where he grabbed her by the hips and she had to run away.

The plaintiffs are represented by attorney Shane A. McClelland of Simon Herbert & McClelland in Houston.

Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas case number: 4:14-CV-03557