Ex-Hooters waitress awarded $275,000

A former waitress at Hooters, the restaurant chain known for scantily clad servers, was awarded $275,000 in a lawsuit over peepholes in a dressing room.

Joanna Ciesielski, 26, also alleged she had been sexually harassed by managers who touched her inappropriately and asked her out on dates.

“My mom and dad always told me, ’The truth will set you free,”’ Ciesielski said after the verdict Tuesday night. “It’s totally true.”

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Hooters attorneys asked the judge to throw out the award: $25,000 in compensatory damages for emotional distress and $250,000 in punitive damages.

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“We’re disappointed with the verdict. We believe it will be overturned,” said Barry Hartstein, an attorney for the company.

During the trial, Ciesielski, who worked at the restaurant while attending college, testified she heard laughter as she undressed alone in a changing room at the restaurant near O’Hare International Airport in 2001. The adjoining room was a break room for employees.