
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, October 30, 1993                   TAG: 9310300146
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

STEAKHOUSE FINED $15,000 IN HARASSMENT

A federal judge has ruled that a Roanoke restaurant allowed a "hostile working environment" in which a waitress complained of sexual harassment.

The decision ended the second phase of a trial that began in July against Charcoal Steak House.

A jury ruled earlier that John Peroulas, the owner of the restaurant, sexually harassed a waitress, Debbie Stanley, over two years.

The jury awarded Stanley $75,000 in damages from Peroulas; and U.S. District Judge Sam Wilson imposed an additional $15,000 against the business this week.

Although the $15,000 actually will be included in the first verdict, Wilson's decision means that Stanley now can collect for court costs and attorneys fees, according to Terry Grimes, a Roanoke attorney who represented her.

Stanley was one of about a dozen waitresses who said - either in testimony or affidavits - that Peroulas assailed them with sexual comments or furtive touches.

by CNB