We're learning about the sexual harassment accusations against a Southwest Florida restaurant with a worldwide reputation for being festive.
As we reported Tuesday, three former employees of the Bubble Room are painting a much darker picture in their lawsuit against the restaurant on Captiva Island.
Wednesday, one of their former employees spoke through tears with her attorney by her side.
Lisa Shamma worked at the Bubble Room restaurant on Captiva from 2013 to 2015. She says the work environment was so bad, she quit.
“I’ve watched a lot of young girls, some of them my daughter's age, a lot of them couldn't even make training,” she said.
Shamma and two other women are seeking $15,000 in damages from the owners of the iconic restaurant, known for its fancy cakes and unique decor.
She says management there did nothing to stop the harassment. “Most of them brushed it off, laughed about it joked about it.”
Two male employees named in the lawsuit are accused of making comments about sex acts, sexual positions and the bodies of their female co-workers.
“They experienced severe and pervasive sexual harassment, unwanted touching,” said Shamma’s attorney Dennis Webb.
Shamma says some of the male co-workers would get within inches of her face and spew vulgar and graphic words.
“The language and the verbiage that went on was consistent, day in and day out."
She says the experience made her hyper-vigilant about even the slightest possibility of problems in any new jobs she took after the Bubble Room.
“The first year of trying to find employment, one little thing would set me off it would remind me of the same environment."
4 In Your Corner reached out to the owner of the Bubble Room early Wednesday, but didn't hear back.
