Justin Vineyards Faces Legal Reckoning: Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Settlement Rocks California Wine Industry

A winery proprietor in California has agreed to a $1.49 million settlement to resolve a sexual harassment lawsuit, which accused the establishment of permitting male supervisors to engage in inappropriate behaviors such as groping female staff and indecent exposure, among other disturbing actions.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against the Wonderful Co. and its Justin Vineyards based in Paso Robles in 2022. The lawsuit charged that the company failed to prevent sexual harassment towards female employees and patrons.

Judge Monica Ramirez Almadani of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California sanctioned the compensation for the plaintiffs on Thursday.

According to the female employees, male supervisors were involved in reprehensible conduct, which included unwelcome touching of private areas, inappropriate physical contact like rubbing against female staff, and unsolicited hugs and kisses. The accusations also detailed forced kisses, bra strap snapping, ear nibbling, shoulder biting, indecent exposure, sending inappropriate texts, and touching employees’ hair.

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The lawsuit also accused the supervisors of making inappropriate remarks such as, “I want to smack that ass,” “that ass looks great in those jeans,” and “your boobs look great in that top.”

Late-night texts would come through on female employees’ phones asking what they were wearing, the complaint said. Other examples included supervisors soliciting employees to be in a threesome or expressing a desire to get a divorce to romance an employee.

One staff member, Taylor Markey, said she was subjected to sexual harassment at the hands of James Norton, a manager at Justin Vineyards.

Markey said Norton slapped and grabbed her buttocks “forcibly” and put his hands around her waist. She also alleged he retaliated against her by yelling at her, making fun of her English accent, and taking her by the arm to human resources when he could not understand her.

Markey said nine of her co-workers also filed written reports about sexual harassment or abusive behavior.

The EEOC said the companies “allowed a class of female employees to be subjected to sexual harassment by male supervisors, co-workers and customers,” and did not properly handle the allegations.

Beatriz Andre, acting regional attorney for the EEOC’s Los Angeles District Office, commended the companies Friday “for reaching a resolution of this matter that will benefit all employees.”

Justin Vineyards told The Post that they took the matter “seriously” and the complaint “dates back many years.”

“We take nothing more seriously than maintaining the most respectful and positive work culture for every one of our colleagues, and we’re proud that our policies and standards foster that,” the company said in a statement.

“This matter dates back many years and was dealt with immediately and decisively the moment we became aware of any allegations of conduct that did not align with what is appropriate in the workplace.”

“With this agreement reached, we look forward to putting this chapter fully behind us and continuing to focus on the incredibly talented team we have in place today.”

Wonderful Co., which is headquartered in Los Angeles, also owns Fiji Water, Wonderful Pistachios and Wonderful Halos Mandarins.

The company is headquartered in Los Angeles.