Employees Suing Universal Studios Hollywood After Allegedly Being Assaulted By Guests

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Three Universal Studios Hollywood employees are suing the company for alleged assaults by patrons while working in the "Walking Dead" attraction.

Melinda Molenda, Lisa Molenda and Josiah Steele are the plaintiffs in the Los Angeles Superior Court suit that alleges assault and battery, sexual harassment and failure to prevent discrimination and harassment from occurring. The employees allege that management did not do enough after they complained about the alleged assaults.

"Universal actually creates a volatile situation in which employees and guests are placed in dark, loud, closed, confrontational hallways and mazes in which the guests, often intoxicated by alcohol sold at the park, feel free to harass and assault the employees," the suit states.

The complaint says that Universal's website promotes the "Walking Dead" attraction by telling guests to "prepare to fight for survival" and "battle your way through nightmarish, iconic landscapes."

The suit, which was filed Tuesday, cites several situations in 2018 and 2019 when Melinda Molenda was groped by male visitors. Last May, a man grabbed one of her breasts three times before she could push his hand away, according to the suit, which also states that the man "clearly intended the act and did not apologize."

After another similar incident, the suit states that Molenda complained to the show control person, who asked "What do you want me to do?"

Lisa Molenda also experienced visitors groping her breasts, throwing soda in her eye, and hitting her in the temple so hard she became dizzy, according to the complaint.

The visitor who hit her was not ejected, the suit states. It also alleges that one guest hit her in the face hard enough that she still experiences "clicking and cracking" in her jaw.

"Another guest slapped Lisa's face through the cage, which caused the sharp plastic in the eyes of the mask to go into Lisa's eye," the suit says. "Lisa reported it to the manager, who told Lisa it was her fault."

In July, Steele was hospitalized after a visitor hit him, the suit states, adding that when Steele reported what happened to management, he was told, "most performers don't press charges."

The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

A representative for Universal Studios said in a statement Thursday that the company "[doesn't] comment on pending litigation, but the safety and security of our employees and guests is always our top priority."

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)