In a harrowing lawsuit that sheds light on workplace misconduct, Kelly Foley has filed a complaint against G.S. Pizza, Inc., doing business as Grand Stand Pizza, and an individual named Julio Garcia. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on March 28, 2025. Foley's allegations against her former employer and Garcia are grave, involving claims of sexual harassment, discrimination based on sex, and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
The case outlines a disturbing pattern of behavior that began shortly after Foley commenced her employment with G.S. Pizza on August 29, 2023. According to the complaint, both Julio Garcia and John Legittino—the owner—subjected Foley to unwanted sexual advances and inappropriate comments. One such incident involved Legittino making lewd remarks about Foley's appearance when discussing her uniform size. Moreover, Garcia allegedly escalated his harassment from verbal comments to physical assault by October 2023, including inappropriate touching witnessed by coworkers.
Foley asserts that despite her repeated complaints to Legittino about Garcia's conduct, no corrective action was taken. Instead, she faced retaliatory measures after expressing her intent to report the assaults to law enforcement. This retaliation included exclusion from work discussions and eventual removal from the work schedule under false pretenses of resignation. These actions culminated in what Foley describes as wrongful termination due to her gender and protected activities.
The plaintiff is seeking several forms of relief from the court: back pay with interest, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages for willful misconduct by the defendants, injunctive relief to prevent further violations of rights under Title VII and IHRA, as well as attorney’s fees and other related costs.
Representing Kelly Foley are attorneys Nathan C. Volheim and Sophia Steere from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., based in Lombard, Illinois. The case is being presided over under Case ID: 1:25-cv-03328.