Four Ex-Employees File Sexual Harassment Lawsuits Against Chuck E. Cheese Management
Chuck E. Cheese Restaurant. (Credit: Chase D’Animulls – stock.adobe.com)
CEC Entertainment, LLC, the Irving, Texas-based parent company of Chuck E. Cheese, is facing four separate lawsuits filed by former employees. The claimants, who include underage high school students and adult workers, assert they experienced persistent sexual harassment despite numerous reports to the company’s upper management. All four lawsuits identify Ryan Slade, a general manager at a Chuck E. Cheese location in Charleston, West Virginia, as the harasser.
A former employee, Kylie Wright, was the first to voice her claims against Chuck E. Cheese. Wright alleges that Slade, her supervisor, attempted to groom her for a sexual relationship and physically violated her multiple times during her nine-month tenure at the restaurant when she was 17. Despite her mother reporting these incidents to the company’s corporate office, Slade remained the general manager.
Another former employee, Mary Smith, claims she had a comparable experience while working at the restaurant in 2023. Smith alleges that Slade groomed her by showing favoritism, buying her meals and allowing her to leave early. According to her lawsuit, Slade touched her inappropriately multiple times and made offensive comments about her physique, which led her to quit her job.
In January 2024, Kelsie Vasquez, another employee, lodged a complaint against the chain, alleging that Slade acted in a sexually aggressive manner towards her while she was pregnant. Vasquez claims that Slade discussed lewd acts, invaded her personal space with unwanted touching, and expressed a desire to have sex with her due to her pregnancy.
An assistant manager, Ian Cooper, alleges that he notified the corporate management about Slade’s inappropriate conduct in 2021. His lawsuit states that he was retaliated against when he escalated his concerns after two female workers reported feeling uncomfortable in the workplace. According to the complaint, Cooper was targeted by Slade with disciplinary actions that led to his termination, less than 30 days after he reported the sexually hostile work environment.
The Bailess Law Firm filed the lawsuits in the Circuit Court of Kanawha County, West Virginia. The firm represents the former workers in their cases against the restaurant chain and Slade. The cases underscore the allegations that Chuck E. Cheese was aware of serious safety issues affecting its employees and customers but failed to take action, thereby exposing women and underage teenagers to a repeated offender.
- Kylie M. Wright v. CEC Entertainment, LLC, d/b/a Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Ryan Slade, an individual, Civil Action No. CC-20-2024-C-898 (View complaint)
- Ian K. Cooper v CEC Entertainment, LLC, d/b/a Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Ryan Slade, an individual, Civil Action No. CC-20-2025-C-171 (View complaint)
- Kelsie L. Vasquez v CEC Entertainment, LLC, d/b/a Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Ryan Slade, an individual, Civil Action No. CC-20-2025-C-229 (View complaint)
- Mary E. Smith v CEC Entertainment, LLC, d/b/a Chuck E. Cheese’s, and Ryan Slade, an individual, Civil Action No. CC-20-2025-C-306 (View complaint)
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