FRESNO, Calif. - Lawyers for a woman who was spanked in front of her co-workers as part of what her employer said was a camaraderie-building exercise asked a jury Wednesday for at least $1.2 million for the humiliation she claimed to have suffered.
Janet Orlando, 53, quit her job at the home security company Alarm One Inc. in Fresno and sued, alleging discrimination, assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress.
Employees were paddled with rival companies' yard signs as part of a contest that pitted sales teams against each other, according to court documents. The winners poked fun at the losers, throwing pies at them, feeding them baby food, making them wear diapers and swatting their buttocks.
"No reasonable middle-aged woman would want to be put up there before a group of young men, turned around to show her buttocks, get spanked and called abusive names, and told it was to increase sales and motivate employees," her lawyer, Nicholas "Butch" Wagner, said in his closing argument.
Lawyers for Alarm One, an Anaheim-based, 300-employee company, said the spankings were part of a voluntary program to build camaraderie and were not discriminatory because they were given to both male and female workers.
"This is being done for one reason and one reason only _ money," said K. Poncho Baker, the company's lawyer.
Alarm One officials ceased the practice in 2004, the year Orlando sued, after another employee complained of being injured, according to court records.
Voluntary or not that sounds like they were just asking for trouble in today's society.
-- Edited by woo_hoo22 at 10:01, 2006-04-27
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"Am I speaking in a language you're not getting here?"
That reminds me of the movie "Secretary" starring James Spader.
Anyone see that?
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
That reminds me of the movie "Secretary" starring James Spader. Anyone see that?
OMG! Unfortunately I saw parts of that. They kept playing it over and over on some channel. Hubby had seen some scene and made me come watch it when it played again!
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"Am I speaking in a language you're not getting here?"
i don't think she should get any money for that! uh, c'mon -- how difficult is it to say NO? then, afterwards if she was forced, it would be grounds for a law suit...
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You should fear anything that can bleed for seven days without dying... (as told to Mr. DS on 3-12-10)
I have not. But in some strange way, I enjoy James Spader.
Because he's very enjoyable! Quirky roles fit him very well. I also loved "Bad Influence", starring him & Rob Lowe. Intense movie!
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
Make sure there are no kids around when you do! And I'd love to hear a review, too.
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"Tell me, does it move you, Does it soothe you, Does it fill your heart and soul with the roots of rock & roll? When you can't get through it you can listen to it with a 'na na na na', Well I've been there before" -"Been There Before" by Hanson
I'm torn on this one. I think suing for that extreme amount is stupid. But, no matter what, that doesn't seem very workplace appropriate. I would say the sentence should be that they have to stop doing that, and since they already have, there's no issue.
woo_hoo22 wrote: Lady Strange wrote: That reminds me of the movie "Secretary" starring James Spader. Anyone see that? OMG! Unfortunately I saw parts of that. They kept playing it over and over on some channel. Hubby had seen some scene and made me come watch it when it played again!
And Woo, I think you're husband is trying to tell you something...
woo_hoo22 wrote: Lady Strange wrote: That reminds me of the movie "Secretary" starring James Spader. Anyone see that? OMG! Unfortunately I saw parts of that. They kept playing it over and over on some channel. Hubby had seen some scene and made me come watch it when it played again! And Woo, I think you're husband is trying to tell you something...
NO! I forget what scene it was, but it disturbed him actually! Hubby has no qualms about expressing his wants.
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"Am I speaking in a language you're not getting here?"
FRESNO, Calif. - A former saleswoman who won a $1.7 million sexual harassment verdict after being spanked by co-workers as part of a sales competition is taking her story to television.
Janet Orlando, 53, said she is scheduled to appear on "Good Morning America," "The Oprah Winfrey Show" and a late-night talk show in the next several weeks.
Orlando won her sexual harassment and sexual battery lawsuit Friday against former employer Alarm One Inc.
She was paddled on the rear with a competitor's yard sign two years ago during a so-called camaraderie-building exercise, according to court documents. The winners poked fun at the losers, throwing pies at them, feeding them baby food, making them wear diapers and swatting their buttocks.
She quit her job at the Anaheim-based company after the exercise.
Attorneys for the company said the antics were not discriminatory because they were done to men and women.
Orlando said she would eventually like to give speeches on sexual harassment.
Outrageous. If this was a practice that was common, how come she only complained when she was on the receiving end? What's a matter, can dish it out, but cant take it? I would not have given her a dime.
