Atlanta Police are investigating allegations by an Acworth woman that Joe W. Rogers Jr., the chief executive officer of Waffle House, forced her to perform sexual acts on him against her will while she was employed as his personal assistant for eight years.
Sgt. Tyus of the APD special victims unit told the Journal on Wednesday that there is an open investigation into the allegations that My Brooke Brindle made to Atlanta Police on Sept. 28. Tyus said Rogers has not yet been interviewed in the investigation.
“It’s still in the preliminary stages,” Tyus said.
Brindle, 43, of Acworth, told police that most of the forced sex acts occurred at Rogers’ home on Chatham Road in Buckhead.
Robert Ingram, of Marietta’s prominent Moore Ingram Johnson and Steele law firm, represents Rogers, but said he needed to seek direction from the court on whether he could comment. Rogers sued Brindle in Cobb Superior Court on Sept. 14, but all the documents have been sealed and the sides agreed not to speak to the media about the case.
“As you can imagine, his version of events is much different than hers,” Ingram said.
Brindle filed suit against Rogers in Fulton State Court on Sept. 19, though all documents in that case have also been sealed. Last week, Brindle’s lawyers appealed the Fulton sealing order to the Georgia Supreme Court. That court e-mailed the case file to the Journal just before it was sealed there as well.
David Cohen, a lawyer for Brindle, declined to comment for this story.
Brindle told Atlanta Police that she is a single mother with a high school education and worked as Rogers’ personal assistant from 2003 until May 2012. Her job was to manage the day-to-day operations of Rogers’ estate, and her workplace was Rogers’ home. Her allegations to police indicate Rogers is in his early 60s.
“As a condition of Brindle’s employment, and against Brindle’s will, Rogers willfully, repeatedly and with specific intent to harm and oppress Brindle, required Brindle to perform sexual services,” according to the police incident report. “Rogers frequently appeared naked in front of Brindle. … Rogers treated Brindle as subservient and required Brindle to perform these various sexual acts on him as a condition of her employment.”
Brindle also alleged to the police that Rogers forced her to perform sex acts on him approximately once or twice a month, and that he attempted on numerous occasions to force himself upon her. She repeatedly told him no, according to the police report.
“Brindle was forced to endure the harassment and demeaning treatment by Rogers because she was a single mother and needed her job to support herself and her son,” according to the police report. “Brindle endured the sexual harassment and assault by Rogers for a number of years because she could not find work of comparable pay, (and) because her child’s father abandoned them.”
Brindle quit her job with Rogers on June 29, 2012, according to the police report.
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Just because you hear a one sided story means that you automatically condemn a man for what you think. Well I'm hear to tell you your mind plays tricks on you. What if Joe himself had filed this report. Would you them condemn the women?
Fact is, we have yet to hear from Mr. Rogers himself. So keep an open mind. We don't know what the original suit was for... do we? I think we can expect a released statement from Joe and then let's make our assumptions.
Joe, as the heir to the famous and oh so good Waffle House
Is subject to hainess allegations. He's a public figure in Atlanta. I hope the truth comes out and we do find out about Mr. Rogers and his personal activities are nothing of our concerns.
This is a family matter and I believe we should respect the families of both parties in keeping an open and making a judgement after the judge has.
Nitwits.
But theoretically, she could've sued or had him arrested from the get-go.....it's what I would've done if my "boss" forced me into something, or walked around nude. I wouldn't have waited a week, let alone 9 years.
Very strange. And, as always, I feel sorry for the kid.
This one isn't hard to figure out. She's just money digging and I hope she has to pay him for tarnishing his reputation and name with such serious allegations over her misguided anger.
People never cease to amaze me.