LINCOLN – A former employee of Kirkbrae Country Club has filed a federal lawsuit alleging she received unwanted verbal sexual advances from male coworkers and unwanted physical contact – including a coworker hitting her in the face while on the job.
In a complaint filed June 4 in U.S. District Court in Providence by ODU Law Firm LLC, Cheyenne Kraemer, who worked for Kirkbrae during the summer of 2022 before leaving in the fall timeframe of that year, alleges she suffered “emotional distress, causing a detriment to her self-esteem” due to the alleged harassment while working at the country club. Along with asking for a jury trial, Kraemer, per the suit, is also seeking monetary relief – specifically front and back pay earnings – and directing Kirkbrae to take action and eliminate “unlawful employment practices.”
Kraemer alleged in the suit that on her first day on the job in June 2022, a female coworker told her to avoid the locker rooms because of an incident where a male coworker allegedly hid in the shower stall of the unisex bathroom and “filmed a female coworker who was using the bathroom.” Kraemer also alleged one coworker inappropriately touched and made comments that were “sexual in nature.”
When she reported the matters to her supervisor, Kraemer alleged in the suit that the supervisor never reported the incident despite the supervisor informing her “it [was] handled.”
In late September 2022, Kraemer, according to the lawsuit, stated a male coworker struck her in the face and slapped another female employee. The male coworker was subsequently arrested by Lincoln police, and found guilty in March 2023 of simple assault/battery and disorderly conduct, according to exhibits noted in the lawsuit.
“By this point, [Kraemer] felt that the harassment from coworkers and the toxic and hostile work environment were so severe and pervasive that she had no choice but to resign from her position at Kirkbrae,” the lawsuit claims.
Mike Bradshaw, Kirkbrae’s chief operating officer, did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment from Providence Business News on the alleged suit against the country club.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
