EEOC sues shuttered Greeley nightclub over alleged sexual harassment

The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is suing Greeley bar Starlite Station alleging sexual harassment and retaliation.

The western-themed bar and dance hall operated near the Greeley Mall from 2018 until 2021, when the bar closed after its lease was terminated.

One year ago, country nightclub Starlite Station closed its doors at a strip mall, now even the building is gone, replaced by the construction of new affordable housing, but former employees say the treatment they experienced there sticks with them.

The EEOC filed a complaint against Starlite Station in September, based on seven employees' accounts, alleging it created a hostile work environment based on sex.

"Unwelcome comments, unwelcome touching, the owner of the business touching women, making comments about female employees' breasts, buttocks, sex stereotypes," says Nathan Foster, a trial attorney with the EEOC.

The complaint also alleges the bar's owner, James Jennings, made discriminatory comments about female applicants and employees, touched them without consent, and attempted to engage in sexual relationships with them.

"Our complaint alleges that that's a problem not only for the women who were talked about and who were discriminated against but also for the male employees who didn't want to work an environment where that was the norm," says Foster.

While not involved in the complaint, Hailie Duncan and Sophia McElroy say they experienced much of the same treatment while working as shot girls at Starlite. For McElroy, it started before she was hired.

"I was like cool I'll be here for an official interview tomorrow morning, he was like make sure you wear a low-cut shirt," she says.

Both women claim Jennings did not take action against customers who sexually harassed them, and forced them to wear uniforms they were uncomfortable with.

"He was like you don't have to wear it but you don't have to have a job here," says Duncan, who was 18 at the time of her employment there. They also claim Jennings pressured them to drink while underage and to let him sleep at their homes.

"Basically telling me if I didn't start drinking with them I'm not going to have a job the next day," says Duncan.

Evans police have suspended an investigation into allegations by Duncan's roommate that Jennings sexually assaulted her when the two were in a relationship.

The EEOC complaint alleges Jennings had sexual intercourse with a different employee who was too drunk to consent, at Starlite Station in 2019. Greeley Police say the investigation into that alleged assault is closed and no charges were filed.

Also in the complaint are allegations that retaliatory actions were taken against employees who complained.

"They faced discipline, faced potentially being fired, they were asked to meet with lawyers to sign documents admitting they'd done something wrong and ultimately they faced a lawsuit," says Foster.

McElroy says most employees were forced to sign NDAs. After learning about the EEOC complaint, she decided to speak out despite her NDA.

"I just started crying because I'm like somebody did something, and now I think I have the opportunity to do it too," McElroy says.

James Jennings denies all personal allegations made against him, citing investigations by Greeley Police that he says found "no factual basis" for the claims. That detail was not confirmed by Greeley police.

The EEOC complaint is a civil action against the employer, not a criminal action against an individual, meaning Jennings would not face jail time. If Starlite Station's actions are found to violate employment laws, the business would have to provide monetary relief to the employees in the suit and institute changes to business practices. There is a scheduling conference in the EEOC complaint set for January 2023.

In response to a request for comment, Jennings' attorney provided signed statements from 2020 and 2021 by three of the employees in the complaint saying their statements were false.