Ashley Alford, of St. Louis, says she was sexually assaulted by her boss when he hit her on the head with his genitals. Now she is being awarded what her attorneys believe is the largest payout ever in an American sexual harassment lawsuit.
Ms. Alford was awarded $95 million in compensation from The Aaron’s Inc., a large rent-to-own furniture chain after she sued the store for failing to act after a manager allegedly assaulted her twice in one day.
According to court papers filed, Alford claimed that the store’s then-manager, Richard Moore, gave her inappropriate nicknames and touched her inappropriately when she first began working there in 2005. Nearly a year after she was hired, she claimed, he walked right up to her in the stock room and smacked her on the head with his penis. Then, later that day, he lifted her shirt and masturbated over her as he held her down, she said.
Coincidentally ‘Dick’ Moore did not return to work after those incidents.
Months before the final incident, Alford said she called the employee harassment hotline, but an investigator never got back to her. The suit also claims that she was denied a promotion for reporting the harassment.
Alford’s attorney, Judy Cates, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the award was likely to be capped because of federal law and will be closer to $40 million, plus attorney fees.
The company, whose net worth is estimated at $980 million, dismissed the award as a classic case of a “runaway jury and intends to appeal the verdict.
1 Comments
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, July 11, 2011:
you know why he did that to you, ya spread your mouth and your legs first he just could’nt prove it in court you nympho gold diggin beeotch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
