A work potluck party at San Pedro Taco Bell turned into a boozy bash with sex and vomiting, lawsuit claims
A company Christmas potluck for employees of a San Pedro Taco Bell turned into a boozy bash, with one worker having sex with his wife in front of spectators and another vomiting into a guacamole bowl, according to a lawsuit by one of the employees.
The worker, Alana Bechiom, filed the lawsuit last week in Los Angeles Superior Court. She’s seeking unspecified damages in the suit.
When Bechiom reported the incident to human resources, the lawsuit claims, three co-workers who took part in the party were fired, but Bechiom said she was physically threatened and her car window was smashed, and she claims Taco Bell and and the franchise owner did nothing to protect her against the threats.
“While we don’t own or manage this location, the franchisee who owns and operates this restaurant has shared that they take these claims very seriously,” a Taco Bell spokesperson said in a statement.
The franchise owner, Alvarado Restaurant Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The alcohol-fueled party took place on Dec. 18, 2022 at the Taco Bell on 1031 S. Gaffey St. in San Pedro, where Bechiom had worked as a cashier, according to court records.
Workers were “encouraged to bring food in a potluck-styled buffet,” and Bechiom had decided to take a guacamole bowl to the party.
When she walked in, however, the lawsuit claims, she noticed the windows in the restaurant were covered with wrapping paper, and the cameras in the Taco Bell lobby were also covered.
She had been socializing in the parking lot for a while but, when Bechiom walked back in, according to court records, she found one of her male co-workers was “having sex with his wife in front of everyone at the party.”
The co-worker’s wife, the lawsuit states, was bent over and kissing two other co-workers, including a supervisor, simultaneously.
“[Bechiom] was shocked, disgusted and outraged by what she saw and ran,” according to the suit.
But before leaving, the lawsuit states she went back into the Taco Bell to get her guacamole bowl. Instead she found two of her co-workers vomiting, with one retching into her bowl.
Bechiom complained to her supervisor about what she saw and about someone vomiting into her bowl, but the supervisor then threatened to fight her, according to the suit.
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After she reported the incident, three of the Taco Bell employees, including the supervisor and the male co-worker who had sex with his wife, were fired, the lawsuit claims.
But Bechiom claims she continued to receive threats from co-workers who called her a “snitch.” Four days after the party, she claims, someone smashed the window of her car.
When she reported the threats, she claims, Taco Bell and the franchise owner offered to transfer her.
Bechiom resigned, and is suing Taco Bell and Alvarado Restaurant Group for alleged discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and failure to investigate.
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