Capitol Hill McDonald’s Faces Lawsuit for Discrimination

Capitol Hill resident Mike Broemmel filed a lawsuit against the franchise owner of the McDonald’s at the intersection of Colfax and Pennsylvania after he was assaulted by employees in July of 2020.

The lawsuit alleges that Broemmel was at the Capitol Hill McDonald’s on the evening of July 6, 2020, during which Colorado and Denver had a mandatory mask policy and social distance requirements for businesses. Broemmel claims that McDonald’s employees were not complying with the mask mandate and had gotten within six feet of him several times while he was in the restaurant.

When Broemmel asked why employees were not wearing masks, he was berated by employees and attacked from behind, according to the lawsuit. Broemmel claims he was physically assaulted both inside and outside the restaurant by at least one employee and threatened by others, including the location’s security guard.

The lawsuit alleges that employees verbally assaulted Broemmel, a member of the LGBTQ community, and hurled homophobic slurs at him as he was forced out of the restaurant. Broemmel says his mask was ripped from his face, leaving him with bloody scratches, and his clothes were torn as he was forcibly removed.

Investigation into the assault revealed that the McDonald’s security footage had been erased. Broemmel and his legal team maintain that the footage would support that he was attacked, unprovoked, from behind.

Broemmel managed to get a short video on his cell phone where a McDonald’s employee, with a mask pulled down around their chin, can be seen shoving him out the door.

The owner of the franchise, John B. Ritchey, Jr., who has since sold the location to a new owner, provided the following statement in regards to the incident:

“The safety and security of our crew and guests is our top priority. We take these and any allegations of this nature very seriously, as they do not align with our organization’s values of providing a safe, and inclusive workplace.”

Broemmel and his legal team believe that other members of the LGBTQ community may have faced similar discrimination at the Capitol Hill location of McDonald’s. They are hoping to gather more testimonials from people who may have been subjected to verbal or physical attacks from employees, other customers, agents, or representatives of the Capitol Hill or neighboring McDonald’s restaurants.

Any person who has experienced incidents similar to the one described above is encouraged to reach out to Phil Harding via phone at 303-762-9500 or email at phil@hlaw.com. Callers may remain anonymous should they choose to do so.