NEWS: Jonathan Coachman Named in Sexual Harassment Suit
Get 50% Off Select Tees at WWEShop.com | Valid 3/5-3/6
NEWS: WWE employee, Jonathan Coachman, has been named in a sexual harassment lawsuit against his former employer, ESPN. The suit was filed by former ESPN employee Adrienne Lawrence. Lawrence contends that she was the victim of sexual harassment multiple times through the duration of her employment with ESPN and once Lawrence informed the company, ESPN did nothing to curb the behavior. Lawrence also claims that Coachman attempted to sexually harass her by employing the "ESPN predators' playbook." She also contends that Coachman was well known for sexually harassing women while with the company. His behavior allegedly included; sending risque photos of himself, making unwanted passes toward female co-workers, and falsely spreading information regarding imagined romantic relationships with his female colleagues. The part of the lawsuit where Coachman is named appears below:
1. Men Preyed on Ms. Lawrence Under the Guise of Being Collegial or Providing Mentorship
125. On or around January 18, 2016, SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman (“Coachman”) emailed Ms. Lawrence offering to provide her with mentorship and providing his cellphone number. When he contacted her via text, he quickly turned a professional conversation into a personal matter, asking her about her musical interests. He was employing the ESPN predators’ playbook. See supra at ¶ 84. Colleagues then cautioned Ms. Lawrence that Coachman was notorious for sexually harassing female employees. After learning that, Ms. Lawrence made an effort to communicate to Coachman that she had a boyfriend, after which she did not hear from him again and he made no offers of mentorship.
126. Coachman’s reputation for making unwelcome sexual advances toward women and engaging in other sexually harassing behavior was not a secret. Cary Chow had warned Ms. Lawrence about him when he gave the short list of men at ESPN who were notorious for sexual harassment. Coachman had sent Walsh inappropriate photos of himself and text messages, falsely telling her colleagues that they were romantically involved and that she “wanted” him, another common practice of men at ESPN. See supra at ¶ 13. At least one young production assistant who joined ESPN just out of college had complained to Ms. Lawrence about Coachman making her feel uncomfortable by complimenting her physical appearance and making passes at her.
125. On or around January 18, 2016, SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman (“Coachman”) emailed Ms. Lawrence offering to provide her with mentorship and providing his cellphone number. When he contacted her via text, he quickly turned a professional conversation into a personal matter, asking her about her musical interests. He was employing the ESPN predators’ playbook. See supra at ¶ 84. Colleagues then cautioned Ms. Lawrence that Coachman was notorious for sexually harassing female employees. After learning that, Ms. Lawrence made an effort to communicate to Coachman that she had a boyfriend, after which she did not hear from him again and he made no offers of mentorship.
126. Coachman’s reputation for making unwelcome sexual advances toward women and engaging in other sexually harassing behavior was not a secret. Cary Chow had warned Ms. Lawrence about him when he gave the short list of men at ESPN who were notorious for sexual harassment. Coachman had sent Walsh inappropriate photos of himself and text messages, falsely telling her colleagues that they were romantically involved and that she “wanted” him, another common practice of men at ESPN. See supra at ¶ 13. At least one young production assistant who joined ESPN just out of college had complained to Ms. Lawrence about Coachman making her feel uncomfortable by complimenting her physical appearance and making passes at her.
As a publicly traded company, the WWE takes sexual harassment claims very seriously. Our sources indicate that they are already investigating the incident and their investigation will be two-fold: 1. Is there any truth to Lawrence's claims? and 2. How much did Coachman know about the lawsuit and the claims against him before they became public? Enzo Amore was recently released by the WWE after being accused of rape primarily because he did not notify the company about the rape investigation. ESPN has denied all of Lawrence's accusations.
Comments
Post a Comment