DENVER, CO – August 29, 2026 (STL.News) The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has filed a federal lawsuit against airline catering company Gate Gourmet Inc., alleging the company failed to protect a female employee from repeated sexual harassment and a hostile work environment at its operation at Denver International Airport.
The lawsuit, announced Friday, Aug. 28, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado as EEOC v. Gate Gourmet, Inc., Case No. 1:26-cv-04015. Court information confirms the case was filed Aug. 28 and is categorized as an employment civil rights matter.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and the filing of a lawsuit does not constitute a finding of liability against Gate Gourmet.
EEOC alleges repeated harassment at Denver operation
According to the EEOC, the alleged conduct occurred between 2022 and 2023 while the woman worked for Gate Gourmet at Denver International Airport.
The federal agency alleges that a male colleague repeatedly subjected the employee to unwelcome sexual conduct, including vulgar remarks and gestures. The alleged comments concerned the male employee’s sexual preferences, the woman’s body and a stated desire to touch her body in a restroom.
Bloomberg Law, citing the federal complaint, identified the employee as Maria Simon and reported that she worked as a catering service employee at Gate Gourmet’s Denver-area facility from October 2022 until July 2023. The complaint reportedly alleges that a male coworker made sexually explicit remarks about Simon on a frequent basis.
Central to the EEOC’s case is not simply the alleged behavior of the coworker, but the company’s alleged response after management was notified.
The EEOC claims Gate Gourmet failed to investigate the employee’s complaints and did not take adequate steps to protect her from continuing harassment.
Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Phoenix District, said workers should be able to earn a paycheck without enduring harassment or indignities.
“When an employee notifies a supervisor about sexual harassment, the employer must take decisive action to restore a safe workplace,” O’Neill said.
The EEOC’s Phoenix District Office has jurisdiction over Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and part of New Mexico.
Lawsuit alleges violations of federal civil rights law
The EEOC contends the alleged conduct violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex. Sexual harassment can constitute unlawful sex discrimination when the conduct meets the legal requirements for creating a hostile or abusive working environment.
The lawsuit emphasizes what the EEOC alleges happened after the employee raised concerns.
Employers can face liability under federal employment law when they knew or reasonably should have known about workplace harassment and failed to take appropriate corrective action, depending on the circumstances and the relationship between the alleged harasser and victim.
EEOC Denver Field Office Director Sherrie Hayashi said federal law prohibits sex discrimination, including sexual harassment.
“Sexual vulgarities and references to someone’s body features do not belong in the workplace,” Hayashi said, adding that such behavior can amount to a hostile work environment when an employer fails to take appropriate remedial action.
The EEOC said it attempted to resolve the dispute through its administrative conciliation process before turning to federal court. Conciliation is the pre-litigation process through which the agency attempts to reach a voluntary resolution after its administrative investigation and before filing certain enforcement lawsuits.
Failure to reach a resolution through that process ultimately led to federal litigation.
What happens next in the Gate Gourmet lawsuit
With the complaint now filed, Gate Gourmet will have an opportunity to formally respond to the EEOC’s allegations in federal court.
The litigation could proceed through several stages, potentially including an answer or other response to the complaint, discovery, motions and, if the parties do not reach a settlement or the case is not otherwise resolved, trial.
At this stage, a lawsuit reflects EEOC allegations rather than a judicial determination that discrimination or harassment occurred.
The case is significant because it illustrates the potential legal consequences employers face when workers report sexual harassment. An employer’s policies alone may not resolve the issue if it fails to investigate complaints appropriately and take corrective measures when warranted.
Gate Gourmet is an international airline catering company. In its announcement, the EEOC described the business as a global airline catering company headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
The federal government’s case focuses on the treatment of an employee at the Denver International Airport operation and the company’s alleged handling of her complaints.
The EEOC is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination against private-sector employers. The agency investigates discrimination charges and, in certain circumstances, can bring litigation in federal court.
As the lawsuit progresses, Gate Gourmet will have the opportunity to contest the allegations and present its defenses. Any damages, injunctive relief, or other remedies would depend on subsequent court proceedings or a negotiated settlement.
STL.News will update this report if Gate Gourmet issues a substantive response to the EEOC’s allegations or significant developments occur in the federal case.
- Case: EEOC v. Gate Gourmet, Inc.
- Case number: 1:26-cv-04015
- Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- Filed: Aug. 28, 2026
- Agency: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Federal law at issue: Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Editor’s note: The claims described in this report are allegations contained in a federal lawsuit. Gate Gourmet is entitled to contest the allegations, and no finding of liability should be inferred from the filing of the complaint.
