Woman sues Topeka's Frito-Lay, claiming she was fired after sexual harassment complaints

Stacey Saldanha-Olson, Topeka Capital-Journal
·2 min read

Former Frito-Lay employee Tiffany Norris has filed a lawsuit against the company claiming gender discrimination and retaliation.

Norris, who is represented by Bruce Alan Brumley and Chloe Elizabeth Davis, filed her claim April 1 with the U.S. District Court of Kansas citing possible violations to federal laws prohibiting gender discrimination related to sexual harassment and retaliation.

Before filing her lawsuit, Norris filed separate charges of discrimination with the Kansas HumanRights Commission and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in October 2022. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notified her of her right to sue in January.

Norris worked as a temporary employee starting in November 2021 and became a full-time employee two months later. Her lawsuit claimed she was sexual harassed beginning in June 2022 after she started working closely with another employee. Later that month, she was fired from her job.

Frito-Lay and Norris' legal team didn't respond for comment.

Frito-Lay is being sued by a former employee who claims she was fired for complaining about sexual harassment.
Frito-Lay is being sued by a former employee who claims she was fired for complaining about sexual harassment.

Lawsuit details harassment claims

The complaint claims Norris experienced sexual harassment when the employee asked her inappropriate questions of a sexual nature, inappropriately touched her and invaded her personal space.

The claim also states she was wrongfully fired out of retaliation for making multiple reports about the sexual harassment to human resources and authoritative staff.

Norris' legal team is requesting $300,000 in compensatory and punitive damages for back pay and benefits, including interest, front pay and benefits, including interest and attorney’s fees.

Frito-Lay's legal team has yet to file a response.

Frito-Lay has been sued two other times in recent years

In 2020, Frito-Lay was sued for age discrimination after an employee, Brian Waggoner, was passed up for a promotion by a younger employee. In 2016 and 2018, Waggoner was 37 and 38 years and was denied promotions for three manager positions. All three openings were filled by employees in their 20s, according to a court summary. The case was reopened by the federal appeals court in Denver in April 2023.

Melvin Smith, Antonio Pead and Daniel Askew filed a lawsuit claiming Frito-Lay created a racist and hostile work environment and “retaliation in the form of increased harassment, loss of promotion, lost wages and lost business opportunities.” Pead and Askew dropped the case in February 2021 and Smith dropped out of the case May 2021.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Woman sues Topeka's Frito-Lay for gender discrimination, retaliation