WA sues 'bikini barista' stand owner over sexual harassment, wage theft allegations

WA sues 'bikini barista' stand owner over sexual harassment, wage theft allegations

The owner of four "bikini barista" coffee stands in King and Snohomish counties is being sued by the Washington Attorney General's Office over allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage theft.

KING COUNTY, Wash. - The owner of four "bikini barista" coffee stands in King and Snohomish counties is being sued by the Washington Attorney General's Office over allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage theft. 

The lawsuit, filed in King County Superior Court, names Jonathan Tagle and his company, Tagle Investments LLC, which owns Paradise Espresso locations in Tukwila, Monroe, Lynnwood, and Mountlake Terrace.

According to the complaint, Tagle is the sole owner and operator of the company and is responsible for day-to-day operations, including hiring, scheduling, and compensating employees. The state's investigation alleges that from at least 2012 to November 2024, Tagle subjected female employees to unlawful discrimination based on sex. This included quid pro quo harassment and unwelcome sexual conduct that created a hostile work environment.

What we know:

The complaint details a number of alleged actions by Tagle, including:

• Requiring female employees to engage in sexual acts to be hired, keep their jobs, or receive better hours or shifts.
• Requesting that female applicants and employees go to his house for job interviews or to pick up wages, and then demanding sexual favors.
• Touching female employees without their permission, including kissing, hugging, and touching their private parts.
• Recording female employees undressing and changing into work outfits, then showing the recordings to others and commenting on the employees' bodies.

The lawsuit also alleges that Tagle took adverse employment actions against employees who rejected his unwelcome sexual conduct, such as assigning them fewer hours or less favorable shifts, terminating them, and threatening them.

In addition to the harassment claims, the lawsuit states that Tagle and his company allegedly failed to pay employees the minimum wage for all hours worked and did not pay all tips earned. The complaint alleges that employees were routinely unpaid for work performed during training, and at the start or end of their shifts. The state also claims that the company did not maintain a regular pay schedule.

What they're saying:

"Our team investigation found that the employer broke the law in multiple ways and created a workplace that left his employees stressed and traumatized," said Attorney General Nick Brown. "Protecting worker rights is one of my top priorities as Attorney General. That includes making sure no one trying to earn a living is treated in such a demeaning and exploitative way as the women were in this case."

Dig deeper:

The complaint further alleges that the defendants did not provide paid sick leave to employees and failed to notify them of their entitlement to it, in violation of Washington's Paid Sick Leave law.

The state claims that this failure caused eligible employees to either work while sick or stay home without pay.

What's next:

The lawsuit seeks to have Tagle's actions declared unlawful and to permanently bar him from discriminating on the basis of sex or retaliating against employees.

The state is also asking the court to order Tagle to pay back wages and tips to employees, award monetary damages, and cover the costs and attorney fees for the state.

What you can do:

The Attorney General's office is asking anyone who worked at Paradise Espresso since 2012 to contact their Civil Rights Division by emailing ParadiseEspressoLawsuit@atg.wa.gov or by calling 1-833-660-4877 and selecting Option 9 from the menu.

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