A Maryland Restaurant Owner Goes on Trial for Allegedly Harassing an Underage Hostess [Updated] | Eater DC

"Opened in 2013 and closed in August 2020, Urban Butcher was a Silver Spring steakhouse where Raynold Mendizábal employed a teenage hostess in 2019 who later filed a March 2021 civil lawsuit alleging routine sexual harassment and unwelcome physical advances. The complaint says Mendizábal, then 48, would regularly greet her by saying “hello, beautiful,” follow with comments on her appearance, give a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and that this conduct caused her severe physical and psychological harms — anxiety, depression, loss of self-esteem, lack of appetite and insomnia — as well as alleged financial losses; the suit sought up to $5 million in compensatory damages plus statutory damages, legal fees, and other relief. I reported that a jury trial began December 19 in Rockville’s Montgomery County Circuit Court and that Mendizábal was found not guilty on December 21; a pretrial hearing and mandatory settlement conference had taken place in December 2021. After opening Urban Butcher, Mendizábal earned recognition including a 2016 Chef of the Year award from the Restaurant Association of Maryland, a spot on Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants (No. 75 in 2020), and generally positive reviews from the Washington Post." - Tierney Plumb