A former concessions worker says her short stint at Progressive Field turned into months of racist abuse, sexual harassment, and threats, and that the company in charge of feeding Guardians fans looked the other way. She has now filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court seeking reinstatement with back pay and benefits, plus damages and attorney fees.
Lawsuit says employer ignored repeated complaints
The complaint targets Cleveland Sportservice, the concessions arm that staffs Progressive Field, and traces the worker’s time at the ballpark from her January 2024 hire to a May 23, 2024, suspension for alleged insubordination and a termination roughly a week later. The filing states that she repeatedly reported incidents to management and to police. Her attorney called the treatment “horrific,” according to Cleveland.com.
Who runs the concessions
Cleveland Sportservice operates Progressive Field’s concessions as part of Delaware North’s Sportservice division, a longtime hospitality partner of the Guardians. The team and Delaware North announced a multiyear extension of their food and beverage partnership last year, according to an MLB.com press release.
Details in the complaint
According to the complaint, a dishwasher repeatedly sent the plaintiff lewd photos, another coworker touched her arms, pulled her into him, and cornered her in a supply closet, and a prep cook allegedly threatened to burn down the facility with everyone inside. The suit says coworkers hurled anti-Haitian slurs and asked whether Haitians eat rodents or lizards, and that a third employee eventually intervened, but that management did not act despite witnesses. Those allegations are laid out in the court filing.
Legal context and company track record
Delaware North and Sportservice have been named in prior employment and discrimination cases in other jurisdictions, a record that labor attorneys say can shape how courts view claims about workplace culture and corporate oversight. Public court records show earlier suits against Sportservice and Delaware North; see filings compiled on Justia for examples.
What’s next
The case will move through the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas process, where the parties may exchange documents and take depositions before any trial or settlement. For now, the complaint has put a spotlight on how stadium vendors respond to employee complaints and on whether venue contractors and teams will change oversight or training in response.
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