Former Employee Audrey Urda Sues Petsmart for Hostile Work Environment, Sexual Harassment by Two Managers, Other Charges

Former employee Audrey Urda sues Petsmart for creating hostile work environment, sexual harassment by two managers, Matthew Girard and Charles Vesseley, retaliation & wrongful termination stemming from incidents at two of its stores.

For the millions of Americans with pets who have shopped at Petsmart at some point. Well, the company is being sued by Audrey Urda, who claims she was subjected to a hostile work environment, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and other intentional incidents in two of its stores -- one in New York and the other in Virginia.

Ms. Urda filed a civil suit today against the multi-billion dollar specialty pet retailer and one of its managers in US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond, VA. The complaint provides explicit details of the sexually degrading and humiliating verbal taunts and the provocative and threatening behavior to which Ms. Urda was consistently subjected during her five-year tenure as a Pet Care Specialist in two PetSmart locations – the first in New York, the later in Virginia.

David Sanford and Katherine Leong of Sanford, Wittels & Heisler LLP in Washington, DC are representing Ms. Urda.

"Audrey was subjected to some of the most egregious and explicit sexual harassment in not one, but two Pet Smart stores, from two successive managers," said Mr. Sanford. "These managers' behavior – and the corporation's tolerance of it – is not only wrong, it is uncivilized. The corporation may tout its support for animal rights, but its managers' treatment of Audrey, who had been a stellar employee, was nothing short of inhumane."

A resident of Virginia, Ms. Urda began working for PetSmart in October 2005, as a Pet Care Specialist in the Pet Care Department of the corporation's Vestal, New York, store. In July 2009 – as a result of sexual harassment by the Vestal store manager Charles Vesseley -- she transferred to the PetSmart store in Chesterfield, Virginia, where she continued working as a Pet Care Specialist under the supervision of Store Manager Matthew Girard.

On multiple occasions, Mr. Girard sexually assaulted Ms. Urda behind locked doors, offenses to which he has already pleaded guilty in Chesterfield County Court. Source

The fact that Matthew Girard pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting Ms. Urda will definitely work against the company in court. It's a shame that the hostility didn't come from aggressive animals but from a human pig.

More Money Troubles for Bishop Long, Must Pay Nearly $2 Million to Settle Lawsuit Stemming from Hoops & Fitness Gym

Bishop Eddie L. Long and business partners in Hoops & Fitness gym ordered to repay State Bank & Trust nearly $2 million to settle civil lawsuit.

Bishop Eddie L. Long is in the news again and this time, it involves a $1.9 million dollar settlement. This man pays out more money than the Georgia Department of Revenue. We blogged about the case, which involved Long and two business partners who bought the Hoops and Fitness gym on Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro in 2007. According to WSB-TV, they formed a partnership -- The West Indies Holding Company -- and each signed a document borrowing money to purchase the building. Guess what, they didn't pay as agreed and State Bank and Trust hauled them into court. Well, the result is Long and his partners must pony up more than $1.8 million, plus interest, fees and property taxes, WSB-TV said. One of the partners may be off the hook, since he filed for bankruptcy.

Um, I wonder, with all this money Long has to pay, could he be heading for a financial ruin too? True to form, Long had no comment on this latest settlement, nor did he show up for a deposition in a separate matter -- a sexual harassment lawsuit against Michael Ceaser, a former employee. This is another disturbing series of events that continue to dog Bishop Long. How many more embarrassing incidents will the church board and the members of New Birth tolerate from this man before saying bye, bye? I am getting really sick and tired of hearing about this man in the news. The members of his church hve got to hold this man to a higher standard. He is playing them for a fool. Unbelievable. What's next? Oh yeah, another lawsuit. This one was filed by the man who sold him the gym. He claims Long defaulted on a settlement with him by failing to pay nearly $200,000 owed. So, exactly why is Bishop Long parading around Atlanta in a Bentley when he can't pay his bills. Oh wait, his piggy-bank, New Birth, pays the tab on the Bentley, right? It's equally amazing that we haven't heard peep out of his PR mouth piece Art Franklin.

Medgar Evers College Hit with 2nd Sexual Harassment Lawsuit as Dean Gale Gibson Accuses Provost Dr. Howard C. Johnson of Nasty Jokes

Medgar Evers College dean Gale Gibson accuses Provost Dr. Howard C. Johnson of sexual harassment in second lawsuit filed against the school over e-mail calling her, colleague Zulema Blair & other female staffers "sluts" & "whores."

More drama at Medgar Evers College: Freshman Studies Dean Gale Gibson has accused provost Dr. Howard C. Johnson of sexual harassment. She said Johnson made nasty jokes questioning the paternity of her child -- comments that were repeated in a vicious e-mail that described her and other female staffers as “sluts” and “whores.” You will recall Zulema Blair filed a lawsuit requesting the identity of the person who sent the email be revealed by Yahoo.

“It’s horrific, it’s horrible,” Gibson told The Post. “It was disturbing because I was seven months pregnant. I felt like these people were trying to make me lose my baby!” Gibson filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission last March, claiming Johnson said he was “waiting to see exactly who the baby [Gibson] was carrying at the time would look like... the implication being that I am an unchaste woman.” Gibson said the nasty baby comment was repeated in an e-mail sent last December. Source

Medgar Evers just rolled over in his grave at the hot mess that is playing out at the college which bears his name. Claude Celestine, 32, the then-college student named in the email, who now works for State Assemblyman Karim Camarra (D-Brooklyn) told the NY Post that he denied ever being romantically involved with Blair and plans to take legal action against the college as well.

NY Knicks Center Eddy Curry Slapped with Sex-Harassment by Former Chauffeur David Kuchinsky

I have never understood why people resort to frivolous lawsuits for aimed at exacting money from the defendant. New York Knicks center Eddy Curry was slapped with a sexual harassment suit by his former driver, David Kuchinsky, who claims the hoopster tried to solicit gay sex from him. Okay, that's just plain nasty, but I am bothered by the fact that this man worked for Curry from October 2005 through October 2008. Why did you stay that long? Remember Anita Hill and Clarence "Uncle Tom" Thomas? Maybe she was telling the truth, but what I found confounding was why she followed him from job to job? The same issue is applicable here. Why did you allow yourself to be denigrated in such a manner for five years? I would have left and filed a lawsuit immediately. If you ask me, Kuchinsky is after the Curry's money.

The court papers claim Curry, a married father of three, repeatedly approached chauffeur David Kuchinsky "in the nude," allegedly telling him, "Look at me, Dave, look" and "Come and touch it, Dave." Curry, according to the court documents, also made Kuchinsky perform "humiliating tasks outside the scope of his employment, such as cleaning up and removing dirty towels [Curry had ejaculated into] so that his wife would not see them." Again, why did man stay in this environment?

Kuchinsky, who is straight and Jewish, also alleges racial discrimination, saying that Curry hurled slurs at him including "f---ing Jew," "cracker," "white slave," "white devil" and "grandmaster of the KKK." Again, why did he stay five years in such a hostile environment? Don't get me wrong, if these allegations are true, Eddy Curry's marriage is over and he has ruined his reputation. Whatever that is.

Here's another twist to this disgusting tale. Kuchinsky further claims in his suit that Curry pointed a "fully loaded" gun at him on at least two separate occasions to keep him from complaining about his treatment. Wow, doesn't this remind you of former NJ Nets star Jayson Williams' manslaughter case? "Look, I have one in the chamber," Curry allegedly said. Again, why did this man stay in this position for five years? You threaten me with a gun and I am gone because one day you may be crazy enough to pull the trigger.

Kuchinsky, who worked for Curry from October 2005 through October 2008, says he was initially hired as an around-the-clock chauffeur for Curry and his family at their Burr Ridge, Ill., mansion.

But shortly after starting work, he soon found his duties fell well outside his job description and "progressively became Curry's "house-boy,'" his suit says. He is seeking $98,000 plus compensatory damages from the injured Knick, whose contract pays him $9.4 million this year. Kuchinsky says he is owed $68,000 in unpaid wages, as well as $25,000 in expenses for which Curry never repaid him.

"Instead of paying him, they discriminated against him, figuring that it would keep him there," said Kuchinsky's lawyer, Matthew Blit. "Imagine going into your boss's office ... and he stands up and drops his pants and he asks you take care of him. Those actions are unacceptable whether it's in a corporate office or a private home." Source: NY Post

This is a frivolous lawsuit, but the plaintiff might just prevail, given the history of the New York Knicks where sexual harassment is concerned. Isaiah Thomas set the wheels in motion with the harassment of the team's VP of marketing, Anucha Browne Sanders, who filed a 2006 sexual harassment suit claiming the general manager made advances toward her and even said he "loved" her. He also allegedly called her "ho" and "bitch." She also complained the team was allowed to become a sleazy old-boys club, in which Stephon Marbury had sex with a female intern in an SUV. Sanders was awarded $11.6 million in punitive damages and the Knicks settled with her. Eddy Curry may very well be a scumbag on the "down-low" and should be called out on his alleged behavior, but why work for him for five years and then file a lawsuit? He should have left a long time ago, unless of course, his criminal history factored into this matter.

NY Knicks Center Eddy Curry Slapped with Sex-Harassment by Former Chauffeur David Kuchinsky

I have never understood why people resort to frivolous lawsuits for aimed at exacting money from the defendant. New York Knicks center Eddy Curry was slapped with a sexual harassment suit by his former driver, David Kuchinsky, who claims the hoopster tried to solicit gay sex from him. Okay, that's just plain nasty, but I am bothered by the fact that this man worked for Curry from October 2005 through October 2008. Why did you stay that long? Remember Anita Hill and Clarence "Uncle Tom" Thomas? Maybe she was telling the truth, but what I found confounding was why she followed him from job to job? The same issue is applicable here. Why did you allow yourself to be denigrated in such a manner for five years? I would have left and filed a lawsuit immediately. If you ask me, Kuchinsky is after the Curry's money.

The court papers claim Curry, a married father of three, repeatedly approached chauffeur David Kuchinsky "in the nude," allegedly telling him, "Look at me, Dave, look" and "Come and touch it, Dave." Curry, according to the court documents, also made Kuchinsky perform "humiliating tasks outside the scope of his employment, such as cleaning up and removing dirty towels [Curry had ejaculated into] so that his wife would not see them." Again, why did man stay in this environment?

Kuchinsky, who is straight and Jewish, also alleges racial discrimination, saying that Curry hurled slurs at him including "f---ing Jew," "cracker," "white slave," "white devil" and "grandmaster of the KKK." Again, why did he stay five years in such a hostile environment? Don't get me wrong, if these allegations are true, Eddy Curry's marriage is over and he has ruined his reputation. Whatever that is.

Here's another twist to this disgusting tale. Kuchinsky further claims in his suit that Curry pointed a "fully loaded" gun at him on at least two separate occasions to keep him from complaining about his treatment. Wow, doesn't this remind you of former NJ Nets star Jayson Williams' manslaughter case? "Look, I have one in the chamber," Curry allegedly said. Again, why did this man stay in this position for five years? You threaten me with a gun and I am gone because one day you may be crazy enough to pull the trigger.

Kuchinsky, who worked for Curry from October 2005 through October 2008, says he was initially hired as an around-the-clock chauffeur for Curry and his family at their Burr Ridge, Ill., mansion.

But shortly after starting work, he soon found his duties fell well outside his job description and "progressively became Curry's "house-boy,'" his suit says. He is seeking $98,000 plus compensatory damages from the injured Knick, whose contract pays him $9.4 million this year. Kuchinsky says he is owed $68,000 in unpaid wages, as well as $25,000 in expenses for which Curry never repaid him.

"Instead of paying him, they discriminated against him, figuring that it would keep him there," said Kuchinsky's lawyer, Matthew Blit. "Imagine going into your boss's office ... and he stands up and drops his pants and he asks you take care of him. Those actions are unacceptable whether it's in a corporate office or a private home." Source: NY Post

This is a frivolous lawsuit, but the plaintiff might just prevail, given the history of the New York Knicks where sexual harassment is concerned. Isaiah Thomas set the wheels in motion with the harassment of the team's VP of marketing, Anucha Browne Sanders, who filed a 2006 sexual harassment suit claiming the general manager made advances toward her and even said he "loved" her. He also allegedly called her "ho" and "bitch." She also complained the team was allowed to become a sleazy old-boys club, in which Stephon Marbury had sex with a female intern in an SUV. Sanders was awarded $11.6 million in punitive damages and the Knicks settled with her. Eddy Curry may very well be a scumbag on the "down-low" and should be called out on his alleged behavior, but why work for him for five years and then file a lawsuit? He should have left a long time ago, unless of course, his criminal history factored into this matter.