In Lleida, four people are under investigation over an alleged sexual harassment case at Les Avellanes Monastery in Os de Balaguer, according to court documents.
The chef, identified as J.N.V.C., faces accusations of sexual harassment. Three senior figures at the complex are also being investigated as alleged accomplices or for cover-up, the hotel director at the time of the alleged incidents, an auditor, and a trustee of the foundation that runs the site.
The case began with a joint complaint filed in May 2024 by seven female employees of the restaurant El Claustre with the Mossos d'Esquadra. Initial findings say the three additional people under investigation were aware of the situation but did not act to prevent it, despite repeated warnings.
The case is still in the instruction phase. All four investigated parties appealed to the Lleida Provincial Court, asking for the manager to be included in the investigation, but the court rejected the appeal and upheld the instructing court's decision. The court said the manager “would have been the only person on the management team who, upon learning of all these behaviours, would have contacted each of the affected parties and communicated it to her superiors for appropriate measures to be taken.”
Six of the seven complainants are continuing with the legal proceedings. Four of them are represented by lawyer Enric Rubio, who says the three people investigated for alleged cover-up “did nothing about it.”
Les Avellanes Monastery has said it activated its protocols and opened an internal investigation. That process reportedly identified “poor labour practices”, which led to the worker being sanctioned and temporarily suspended without pay from his duties.
The complainants also reported a series of abusive and sexually explicit remarks allegedly made by the chef, including comments about their bodies, race, gender identity and work. The alleged remarks are part of the court record cited in the article. For more Catalonia-wide reporting, see news.
