The Armstrong Law Firm Files A Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Freedom Financial Network And Its Division Company, Freedom Debt Relief
November 2, 2009
Freedom Debt Relief’s Vice President, Scott Dennis, accused of frequently making unlawful and offensive sexual comments and engaging in illegal sexual conduct.
Online PR News – 02-November-2009 – The Armstrong Law Firm has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit (San Mateo County Superior Court, Case No. CIV 489171) on behalf of a Freedom Debt Relief sales coordinator who claims she was subjected to a hostile work environment by her employer and the company’s Vice President, which condoned sexually harassing comments and behavior, negligently employed those accused of sexually harassing conduct, and caused the termination of the employee due to intolerable working conditions.
The plaintiff accuses Freedom Debt Relief’s Vice President, Scott Dennis, of frequently making unlawful and offensive sexual comments and engaging in illegal sexual conduct. Throughout her employment the plaintiff maintains in the complaint that Dennis made explicit sexual comments in her presence regarding women’s anatomy such as their breasts and buttocks, simulated having sex with women by thrusting his hips back and forth and pretending to slap the woman’s behind and simulated other sexual acts in the workplace.
The lawsuit against Dennis, who also serves as VP of Sales for Freedom Financial Network, also claims that he confided to the plaintiff that he had seen a sex tape of two other Freedom Financial employees while stating that he, Scott Dennis, believed everyone in the business world was either a "pimp or ho".
The plaintiff also alleges in her lawsuit that Freedom Financial Debt Relief and its parent company; Freedom Financial Network did not have an adequate sexual harassment policy and did not provide adequate sexual harassment training to its employees and managers.
"By not adequately investigating the complaints of my client and by not taking steps to stop the sexual harassment, Freedom Debt Relief and Freedom Financial Network created a work environment that tolerated and sanctioned this type of illegal activity," said Kelly Armstrong, of The Armstrong Law Firm. As an example, there have been prior sexual harassment allegations against Dennis that resulted in no known disciplinary action, sexual harassment training or even a warning about his conduct. This fact places the company at significant risk of liability for damages by continuing to employ an officer of the company with prior sexual complaints against him.
The work environment was such that the complaint states that Scott Dennis participated in the sending of a daily e-mail among the male sales employees ranking and discussing the "hottest" women in the office, and failing to cease such conduct after the plaintiff became aware of the e-mails and complained.
The lawsuit claims that when another Freedom Debt Relief employee made a complaint against Scott Dennis, Dennis instructed the plaintiff to lie to investigators. The plaintiff reported the action to the company's Human Resources Department which took no action. The complaint also alleges that Vice President Scott Dennis had relationships with at least two subordinate employees despite the company's no dating policy. In short, he treated the company as his sexual playground where he felt free to act as part of a good ole boy network without repercussion.
Freedom Financial Network provides consumer debt resolution services through its Freedom Debt Relief and Freedom Tax Relief divisions and was founded by Stanford Business School graduates Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh. In a lawsuit filed a year ago, The Consumer and Environmental Unit of the District Attorney’s Office joined with the California Department of Corporation to sue Freedom Debt Relief Freedom Financial Network and company owners Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh. The lawsuit filed in San Mateo County Superior Court claims the defendants engaged in unlawful business practices, including making false or misleading statements to consumers via the Internet and telephone to induce them to buy debt reduction services. The suit also claims the company violated the state financial code by operating without a business license from the Department of Corporation.
About The Armstrong Law Firm The Armstrong Law Firm practices exclusively in the area of employment law and handles all types of employment law matters including sexual discrimination and racial discrimination as well as discrimination based on age, religion, and disability. Our lawyers stand up for persons who face abusive workplace conditions such as sexual harassment, racial harassment, and workplace retaliation. The Armstrong Law Firm has handled several cases which received widespread exposure in the media, including a $20 million whistleblower case and a $75 million age discrimination lawsuit.
California Pizza Kitchen Charged With Sexual Harassment And Pregnancy Discrimination In A Lawsuit Filed By The Armstrong Law Firm
Thursday, January 24, 2008
The Armstrong Law Firm files a lawsuit against California Pizza Kitchen on behalf of a former employee who claims she was subjected to sexual harassment.
Online PR News - 29-October-2009 - SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- October 29, 2009 -- California Pizza Kitchen has been sued in Santa Clara County Superior Court (Case #109CV155965) by The Armstrong Law Firm, representing a former employee who claims she was subjected to sexual harassment by her supervisor then retaliated against when she complained to management and discriminated against for being pregnant.
The lawsuit names California Pizza Kitchen Supervisor Andy Lee (Palo Alto restaurant) as the individual who engaged in sexually abusive and harassing behavior. The complaint states that Lee had informed the plaintiff that he had prior sexual harassment complaints filed against him.
"This tells me that either California Pizza Kitchen does not care about protecting its employees or is unfamiliar with sexual harassment law,"
"It's outrageous that California Pizza Kitchen would not take sexual harassment complaints by its female employees seriously, especially when the harasser is a manager and multiple witnesses confirm the sexual harassment." said Kelly Armstrong, The Armstrong Law Firm. "This tells me that either California Pizza Kitchen does not care about protecting its employees or is unfamiliar with sexual harassment law," added Armstrong.
The complaint filed states that the plaintiff was subjected to sexually harassing behavior by Lee almost immediately upon being hired and that California Pizza Kitchen failed to take action to stop the abusive behavior when they were notified of the problem. Instead, the plaintiff states that she was subjected to illegal retaliation for reporting the sexual harassment.
"It appears California Pizza Kitchen did not have an adequate sexual harassment policy and did not provide adequate sexual harassment training with respect to its employees and managers," stated Armstrong.
The problem was made worse when the plaintiff notified California Pizza Kitchen that she was pregnant. She then received false performance reports, was targeted for wrongful termination and was required to perform heavy lifting and strenuous labor which required hospitalization in one instance.
"California Pizza Kitchen needs to take immediate action to make the workplace safe for its young female employees and to not place the health of pregnant employees at risk with retaliatory actions," said Armstrong.
About The Armstrong Law Firm
The Armstrong Law Firm practices exclusively in the area of employment law and handles all types of employment law matters including sexual discrimination and racial discrimination as well as discrimination based on age, religion, and disability. Our lawyers stand up for persons who face abusive workplace conditions such as sexual harassment, racial harassment, and workplace retaliation. The Armstrong Law Firm has handled several cases which received widespread exposure in the media, including a $20 million whistleblower case and a $75 million age discrimination lawsuit.
San Francisco Chronicle
John Burton faces sexual harassment suit
Demian Bulwa, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Former state Senate leader John Burton was sued Wednesday for $10 million by the executive director of his San Francisco charitable foundation, who claims he sexually harassed her by swearing at her and making lewd and suggestive comments on an almost daily basis.
Burton's attorney called the lawsuit, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, a "shakedown" and predicted that Burton's "character and reputation will win out at the end of the day."
During a 35-year legislative career in which he rose to become California's second-most-powerful politician, Burton became well known for his mouth. A 2004 Chronicle article about the ex-bartender described him as "visceral, irascible, occasionally avuncular and routinely profane."
Kathleen Driscoll, a 48-year-old San Francisco resident now on stress-related medical leave from the John Burton Foundation, said in her lawsuit that Burton used more than salty language.
Driscoll said the former Democratic lawmaker repeatedly remarked on her choice of underwear and the appearance of her breasts, often mimicked masturbation in her presence and told her on roughly 20 occasions, "I had a dream about you last night," while raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
At a news conference Wednesday, Driscoll's attorney played a recorded voice message in which a man she identified as Burton told Driscoll, "When you drop stuff off, I mean, stop in, will you? I'm not getting laid under the f- table."
Driscoll said she had filed suit after unsuccessfully complaining about Burton's behavior to the 75-year-old former lawmaker himself and to the foundation's personnel department.
"My whole life has been turned around, and I did nothing wrong," Driscoll said. "He bullied me and sexually harassed me. It's scary because he's powerful, and he told me that every day."
Burton's attorney, Susan Rubenstein, said that the allegations were false and that Burton, who left the state Legislature in 2005 because of term limits, had never before been accused of sexual harassment.
"This is a man who spent nearly a half century of his life in public service," Rubenstein said. "If he was a sexual harasser or a sexual predator, I think the press would have discovered that by now."
Several friends and former colleagues of Burton jumped to his defense, including state Democratic Party chairman Art Torres, who called Burton a champion of women's rights.
"Anybody who used that colorful language for 45 years - I just can't imagine anyone would take him seriously," Torres said. "That's what he's like. He's old-school, and he means nothing by it."
Driscoll's attorney, Kelly Armstrong, said, "In terms of him saying, 'Your nipples are erect,' that goes way beyond salty, good-old-boy language."
Driscoll said she had previously worked as a donor relations officer at the San Francisco Foundation and as a director of development at UCSF. She said she has 12 years of experience with charities.
According to her complaint, Burton hired her as executive director in August 2006 and began to harass her the next month. Armstrong said the alleged abuse escalated and was not a "quid pro quo situation" in which demotion or promotion were at stake, but "more of a hostile work environment."
Among other complaints, Driscoll said Burton took her to a movie after asking her to meet him to work on the weekend; told her she was "probably wild sexually like all Catholic girls"; and introduced Driscoll to business associates as a "thong model."
Burton founded the John Burton Foundation for Children Without Homes in 2004 and is now its chairman. The charity is "dedicated to improving the quality of life for California's homeless children and developing policy solutions to prevent homelessness," according to its Web site.
Burton was elected to the state Assembly in 1964 and to the U.S. House of Representatives a decade later. In 1982, he left Congress because of a cocaine addiction that he later overcame.
He returned to the Assembly in 1988 and was elected to the state Senate in 1996. Two years later, he was unanimously elected as the Senate's president pro tem.
E-mail Demian Bulwa at dbulwa@sfchronicle.com.
(This article appeared on page B - 3 of the San Francisco Chronicle)
