A former host at the Pasadena location of the iconic Barney’s Beanery restaurant chain who sued the eatery and several managers, alleging he was wrongfully fired in 2022 in retaliation for complaining about sexual harassment by a female supervisor, has dropped his lawsuit.
Cody Rich’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleged disability discrimination, negligent retention and supervision and violations of various state wage and hour laws. On May 15, his attorney filed court papers with Judge Virginia Keeny asking that the lawsuit be dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled. The judge had previously dismissed defamation allegations against individual defendants Rich sued.
The court papers do not state whether a settlement was reached or if Rich is not pursuing the case for other reasons. In their previous pleadings, restaurant attorneys said the eatery “adamantly” denied Rich’s allegations.
Barney’s Beanery started at an historic site in West Hollywood and now has several locations. Rich was hired as an evening shift host in 2021 at the Pasadena restaurant and disclosed his diabetic condition to a regional manager, who said it would not be a problem, the suit stated. Rich also worked some security shifts because he had a wrestling background, according to the complaint.
Rich at first had a good working relationship with Kiana Fanning, a female manager, until she started making sexually harassing advances toward him, including leaning in close and having inappropriate physical contact, the suit filed in July 2023 stated.
Management falsely accused Rich of not timely registering his check-ins and being “drunk of the job,” even though the plaintiff explained that he suffered a medical emergency from high blood sugar due to his diabetes, the suit stated.
Rich was fired in June 2022 in alleged retaliation for his sexual harassment complaints. He also maintains he was among many Barney’s employees who experienced wage and hour violations, including failure to pay for missed meal and rest breaks and omission to pay minimum wage for all hours worked, including overtime.