Angela Houser has filed a lawsuit against The Patio Restaurants, Inc., alleging severe workplace misconduct that includes sexual harassment, sex-based discrimination, and retaliation. Filed on March 28, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, the complaint details troubling allegations against her former employer.
According to the lawsuit, Angela Houser was employed as a manager at The Patio Restaurants until her termination in December 2024. She claims that from mid-2022 through late 2024, she was subjected to a hostile work environment due to persistent sexual harassment by two male colleagues: Kitchen Manager Pablo Bautista and General Manager Radoslaw Chmiel. Houser alleges that Mr. Bautista made unwelcome sexual remarks and attempted physical contact despite her objections. When she reported this behavior to the restaurant's owners and another manager in September 2022, her complaints were dismissed with indifference.
The situation escalated when Mr. Chmiel allegedly began sending nude images and making inappropriate propositions while intoxicated at work. Despite reporting these incidents to management again in June 2024, Houser states that no meaningful action was taken. Instead of addressing her concerns seriously, she was advised to "have a talk" with Mr. Chmiel herself.
Houser's lawsuit also highlights retaliatory actions taken against her after she formally complained about Mr. Chmiel's behavior in November 2024. Rather than taking corrective measures against the harassers, The Patio Restaurants transferred Houser to another location where she faced hostility from colleagues. This transfer is described as punitive and isolating by design. Ultimately, on December 10, 2024, Houser was terminated under what she claims were pretextual circumstances following an altercation with an employee who verbally abused her.
In seeking justice through this lawsuit, Angela Houser requests various forms of relief from the court including back pay and benefits, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages for willful disregard of her rights under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and attorney’s fees among other remedies.
Representing Angela Houser is attorney Peyton M. Paschke from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., based in Lombard, Illinois. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:25-cv-03340.