In 2018, the EEOC announced a $2.85 million settlement with Seasons 52, part of the Darden restaurant group, over allegations that it denied jobs to applicants aged 40 and older. The decree also required hiring-process changes, a compliance monitor and an injunction against future age discrimination; the settlement resolved the lawsuit.
The EEOC's lawsuit sought relief for applicants age 40 and older that had been denied front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house positions at 35 Seasons 52 restaurants around the country. During the course of the litigation, over 135 applicants provided sworn testimony that Seasons 52 managers asked them their age or made age-related comments during their interviews, including: "Seasons 52 girls are younger and fresh," "Most of the workers are younger," "Seasons 52 hires young people," or "We are really looking for someone younger." The company also hired applicants age 40 and older at a significantly lower rate than applicants under the age of 40.
One Fair Wage alleged Darden’s tipped-wage policies harmed workers and sought to stop subminimum pay in 43 states. In September 2021, a federal judge dismissed the nonprofit’s case with prejudice, ruling it lacked standing to sue under Title VII; the court did not reach its other liability theory. The group’s attorney disagreed and said it was considering options.
Darden — the parent group of restaurant chains like Olive Garden, Capitol Grille and Longhorn Steakhouse — was accused of paying waitstaff as little as $2.13 per hour in some states that allow tipped workers to make less than minimum wage.
In 2019, Darden adopted an animal-welfare policy and said it would establish an advisory council to oversee implementation. The policy called on suppliers to improve housing, pain avoidance, slaughter, transportation and antibiotic practices by 2025. Planned commitments included chicken raised without medically important antibiotics by 2023, pork without gestation crates by 2025, and continued cage-free egg sourcing.
Darden, which owns Olive Garden, has adopted a new animal welfare policy encouraging better conditions for farm animals in its supply chain, according to a company press release.
In a California PAGA lawsuit reported September 24, 2024, a former Darden Restaurants employee alleged the company failed to pay workers for overtime and denied them full, uninterrupted meal and rest periods. The evidence describes allegations, not a court finding or case outcome.
By Emmy Freedman (September 24, 2024, 6:32 PM EDT) -- Darden Restaurants failed to pay workers for their overtime hours and did not provide them with full, uninterrupted meal and rest periods, a former employee said in a Private Attorneys General Act lawsuit filed in California state court....
One Fair Wage alleged Darden’s subminimum tipped wages contributed to pay disparities and customer harassment affecting women and workers of color; Darden denied the suit concerned its practices and cited its anti-harassment policies and pay levels. A federal court dismissed the group’s 2021 suit again in 2023, finding it lacked organizational standing.
Darden Restaurants' tipping practices resulted in unlawful discrimination against women and minority employees and invited sexual harassment against them by customers, according to several new U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges...
One Fair Wage is suing Darden, the parent group of restaurant chains like Olive Garden, Capitol Grille and Longhorn Steakhouse for wage policies that it says causes sexual harassment and pay disparity among servers.
One Fair Wage Inc. lacks standing to sue Darden Restaurants Inc. over alleged sexual harassment and race bias stemming from the company’s policies of paying tipped employees the lowest hourly wages allowed.
A June 2020 USA TODAY fact-check said Darden, Olive Garden’s parent, had not donated to Trump’s reelection campaign. It reported that Darden affiliates contributed $85,051 in the 2020 election cycle, most to Democrats, including $860 to Trump. The totals included affiliated individuals and groups, not donations made directly by the company.
Olive Garden: In late May, Olive Garden faced criticism when the company was accused of donating to Trump's re-election campaign. The restaurant denied the claim. Darden, Olive Garden's parent company, has not donated. However, affiliates of the company have contributed $85,051 in the 2020 election cycle, with the large majority going to Democratic candidates. Trump has received $860.
In a July 2022 interview, Darden CEO Rick Cardenas said the company focuses on issues it can affect, such as hunger and employee opportunity. He said Darden would not tell team members what they could do politically outside work, but had no political action committee and did little on politics.
A: Let’s go back to what we are. We’re a restaurant company that has a goal, really a purpose to nourish and delight everyone we serve. All of these issues are important. Every one of those issues are important to somebody, but we have to work on the things that we can impact. We can impact hunger. We can impact opportunities for people to continue to grow.
An EEOC amicus brief backed Rodney Murphy’s appeal, alleging he was fired by Olive Garden four days after reporting a coworker’s racial slur and threat. The brief said Darden’s alleged retaliation claim was plausibly pleaded; it noted the district court had dismissed the complaint. The document’s allegations were not findings of liability.
Four days after Murphy sent the email, Olive Garden terminated him. Id. at 2. Olive Garden allegedly did so on the ground that Murphy made an unspecified threat, but, Murphy avers, “it was not me who said it.” Id.
Jose Burgos was injured in August 2020 while demolishing an Olive Garden freezer for DMC, which Darden had hired. In January 2025, New York’s Appellate Division upheld denial of Burgos’s summary-judgment motion, finding factual disputes over equipment, instructions and causation. It also reversed permission to renew based on a supplemental expert affidavit; defendants’ summary judgment on other claims remained in place.
Even if we were to find that plaintiff met his prima facie burden on his motion for partial summary judgment, given that defendants' submissions raised issues of fact, Supreme Court did not err in denying plaintiff's motion. In that regard, Darden and N&D submitted affidavits by Shawn Simmons, project manager at DMC, and Cory Munger, operations manager at DMC. Simmons averred that he provided plaintiff with a "Set-up Packet" and that he met with plaintiff prior to the accident to go over the packet and the work to be performed. The "Set-up Packet," attached [*3]as an exhibit to the affidavit, contained general instructions for the project, as well as the pictures and diagrams of the subject freezer. The packet did not contain specific instructions as to whether disassembly should be conducted from above or below; however, Simmons claimed to have verbally instructed plaintiff to complete the work from below, using the provided ladders. Simmons also stated that he directed plaintiff to contact him or another DMC representative if any issues arose during the project. Additionally, Simmons averred that DMC provided, among other things, a 6-foot step ladder, an 8-foot step ladder and a 20-foot extension ladder and that these were "the proper safety equipment" required for plaintiff to demolish the freezer. Munger's affidavit mirrored Simmons', but for the fact that Munger was not present at the alleged meeting between Simmons and plaintiff.
OpenSecrets reported $350,000 in lobbying for 2024 and $440,000 for 2023. It listed $153,698 in contributions for the 2024 election cycle, with 70.77% going to Democrats and 29.23% to Republicans. The site says these totals include PACs, individuals and affiliates—not corporate donations directly.
A California Energy Commission docket entry concerns a request to reduce buffer zones for known and future burrowing owl burrows during the non-nesting season. It cites Condition of Certification BIO-12(6) and the Darden Burrowing Owl Plan. The evidence does not show whether the request was approved.
Batch Buffer Reduction Request for Known and Future Burrowing Owl Burrows During Non-Nesting Season Per COC BIO-12(6) and the Darden Burrowing Owl Plan
A California Energy Commission docket entry dated September 15, 2026, identifies David Lungren of IPX Power and refers to “Monthly Compliance Report No 15.” The excerpt says five pages but does not describe the report’s contents or establish what action, if any, the commission took.
5 page(s) </td><td> </td><td>David Lungren, IPX Power</td><td>California Energy Commission</td> </tr><tr> <td>272806</td><td>9/15/2026</td><td> Monthly Compliance Report No 15
The Human Rights Campaign’s Darden Restaurants profile shows 25/25 for Inclusive Culture, with no points deducted and no penalty. It also lists 5/5 for Workforce Protections, indicating full points for that measure in the cited material.
The Human Rights Campaign’s Darden Restaurants profile shows 50/50 for Inclusive Benefits. The evidence identifies the category and score but provides no further detail about the benefits or assessment criteria.
OSHA records show a safety referral inspection of Darden Restaurants, Inc. in Round Rock, Texas, opened February 1, 2024, and closed March 25. The agency listed one “Other” violation, issued February 6, with an initial penalty of $1,000 and current penalty of $600; the citation’s latest event was an informal settlement.