Don't wear a skirt to CoPa, ladies!

Thursday, March 27, 2008
Comerica scoreboard operator files sexual harassment suit
Fred Girard / The Detroit News
DETROIT -- Tigers photographers routinely shot inappropriate "soft core videos" of female fans at baseball games, a sexual harassment suit by Comerica Park's former scoreboard operator claims.

"We believe there is no merit to the allegations," Karen Cullen, spokeswoman for team owner Mike Ilitch, said Wednesday.

The videos were "freely and openly shown in the scoreboard area to all employees and supervisors on almost a regular basis," and are stored in a room behind the scoreboard, Reanen Maxwell of Beverly Hills says in her Wayne Circuit Court lawsuit, which was filed Feb. 22.

The "continued showing of the soft core videos" created a hostile work environment in violation of the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act, the suit claims. Maxwell is requesting damages in excess of $25,000 on each of four counts, plus at least that much in exemplary damages, costs and attorney fees.

The man, who up until last year was in charge of the scoreboard and selecting and recording crowd shots, Scott Fearncombe, said Wednesday any such reports "were never brought to my attention, and I don't know of any secret stash of videos."

Up-skirt shots would have been technically difficult from the dugout-level cameras, he said, "because of the way people are sitting and the angle of the cameras."

Videographers running those two cameras and two in the upper deck fed constant streams of crowd shots to Fearncombe's monitors as he was operating Comerica Park's scoreboard, the largest in baseball when the park opened in 2000. Recording any of the feeds to DVD was a matter only of hitting a few buttons, Fearncombe said, but nothing inappropriate was recorded to his knowledge.

Named as defendants in the suit, in addition to the Tigers and Ilitch Holdings Inc., are Michael Healy, vice president for park operations; Thomas Guajardo, human resources director for Ilitch Holdings; and James Body, a technical assistant to the scoreboard director.

Body is accused of sexually harassing Maxwell, and Guajardo and Healy with failing to respond properly to the complaints. Cullen said neither the company nor the employees would comment further because litigation is pending.

After she was hired in June 2006, Maxwell's suit said, Fearncombe, her immediate supervisor, began sexually harassing her. Body began making obscene statements and "touching and feeling the plaintiff; slapping her across her butt, telling her how much he liked her butt."

Fearncombe, 35, reached at his home in Marine City, said he left the Tigers last year to spend more time with his family, and was not aware of any sexual harassment of Maxwell.

Body did not respond to a request for an interview left with his supervisor at Comerica Park.

Although she repeatedly complained about her treatment, Maxwell said in her suit, she filed no formal grievance during the 2006 season because the Tigers furnished her no procedures or policies to do so, and she feared being retaliated against or fired.

When she returned to work in April 2007, the harassment from both men continued, the suit says. The following month she had a two-hour interview with one of Guajardo assistants, and a few days later with Guajardo.

A few days later, Fearncombe was "terminated from his job," the suit says. Fearncombe is not named as a defendant in the suit.

Body remained, however, and his "sexual harassment became more frequent, aggressive and disgusting," the suit says, citing several examples. Even though she reported the incidents to Guajardo, the suit says, no action was taken.

As a result, Maxwell was "forced to take an involuntary termination" in September 2007.

Maxwell's attorney, Gerald L. Portney of West Bloomfield, said it would be inappropriate for him or his client to provide further details because the defendants have not had a chance to file their response.

as if we don't have enough to worry about!

Guys probably shouldn't wear one either

The players shouldn't wear skirts either.

Good idea!