Restaurateur, mayoral candidate accused of sexual harassment

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee restaurateur and mayoral candidate has been accused of sexual harassment in a lawsuit brought by a server at one of his eateries.

News outlets report Knoxville mayoral candidate Mike Chase is the defendant in the lawsuit that Ana Tipton-Budzynski filed Wednesday. Tipton-Budzynski's suit says the 72-year-old made persistent, sexually explicit comments to her as she served him and two of his friends at Copper Cellar West last month.

The suit also says Tipton-Budzynski's complaint to co-defendant Copper Cellar Corporation Human Resources Director Rick Eldridge wasn't really investigated.