Elizabeth Williams Files Sexual Harassment Suit Against Binghamton University
In her complaint, Elizabeth Williams discusses one incident that is particularly egregious. She alleges that her bosses told her to wear provocative clothing to a fund-raising dinner in New York City; she claims that a prospective donor at the event offered to pay her to have sex with him, and that the two Binghamton athletic directors who accompanied her to the event egged on the prospective donor.
Elizabeth Williams is being represented by attorney Anne Vladeck, who won a very high-profile sexual harassment case against former New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden a couple of years ago.
Anne Vladeck represented Anucah Browne Sanders, a former star basketball player who was fired from her job with the New York Knicks in January of 2006. Anucah Browne Sanders claimed in her suit that New York Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas sexually harassed her and that she was fired as a result of her accusations of sexual harassment as opposed to the quality of her work with the Knicks.
In October of 2007, a jury found that both Isiah Thomas and Madison Square Garden were guilty of sexual harassment; Madison Square Garden was hit with $11.6 million in punitive damages which they appealed. In December of 2007, however, the suit was settled for an amount estimated to be in the neighborhood of $11.5 million.
It would not surprise this writer at all if the charges of sexual harassment brought against Binghamton turn out to be true. In fact, I suspect that this is not an isolated case, and that other women in the same position as Elizabeth Sanders at other universities are also being pressured to flirt or engage in sexual relations with wealthy prospective donors.
Equally disturbing is the probability that a number of these well-heeled donors who offer to pay attractive women fund-raisers for sex are married with children.
Sources:
Fund Raiser Sues SUNY-Binghamton, saying She Was Used as 'Sexual Plaything', The Chronicle of Higher Education
A Warrior in the Sexual Harassment Battle, Robin Finn, The New York Times, October 26, 2007
Anucha Browne Sanders, Wikipedia.org
Published by Hartley Engel
I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada but raised in Los Angeles, California. I have a BA and MsEd degree from USC. View profile
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1 Comments
Post a CommentPerhaps she should have reported her colleagues' requests from the very beginning. Not having done so could cause her problems in her claim. I would hate to see people go unpunished because the situation wasn't properly handled. I know it can be a slippery slope.