A pregnant cook at Panda Express claimed the manager at her New Jersey location told her to get an abortion and physically assaulted her after she told him she was going to have a baby, according to a lawsuit.
Romerian Logan, 19, alleged her ordeal came at the hands of BiQing Liu, the supervisor of the Chinese food franchise located at the Newport Centre mall in Jersey City, according to the lawsuit filed last week in state court.
Logan also accused Panda Express higher-ups of ignoring her complaint.
The expectant mom, who was 18 years old at the time, broke her good news to Liu last July.
But her boss apparently didn’t share the same joy and “started making negative comments…about her pregnancy and suggested that [she] get an abortion,” according to court documents.
The stunned cook, who had worked at that Panda Express since 2019, ignored the advice.
But three months later, Liu “physically assaulted [Logan] by physically restraining her from leaving the workplace after her shift,” it was alleged in court papers.
Logan “reported the incident to human resources but nothing was done to help her,” according to the court filing.
A New Jersey woman suing Panda Express alleged that her manager at the restaurant told her to get an abortion after she got pregnant.Gado via Getty Images
In fact, her $19.35-an-hour job became increasingly worse, she claimed.
Logan was assigned “scrubbing jobs” and other manual labor that she was “unable to perform because of her pregnancy,” according to the court filing.
Logan told The Post she was terminated by the company last December — four months before she gave birth to a baby boy in April.
A store representative at the Panda Express in Jersey City told The Post that Liu has been transferred to another Panda Express location in New York City.
No further information was given.
The popular fast-food chain has 2,300 locations around the US, many on college campuses, and employs 47,000 people.
Panda Express boasts 2,300 restaurants that employ 47,000 people throughout the United States.UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The lawsuit, which names several co-defendants that include “natural persons” and “commercial entities at present unidentified,” alleged that Panda Express knew that Liu engaged in a “continuous pattern of physical and emotional harassment.”
Logan has accused the chain of negligent hiring, negligent supervision and training, creating a hostile work environment, and recklessness, according to court papers.
The Post has sought comment from Logan and Panda Express.
Comment from Liu was sought via his LinkedIn profile.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2023/06/20/panda-express-manager-told-cook-to-get-abortion-after-she-got-pregnant-assaulted-her-after-she-said-she-was-having-baby/