Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty
Former NBA star Paul Pierce has found himself in a sexual harassment lawsuit from an employee who worked at his Hollywood hookah lounge.
According to documents obtained by The Blast, the former employee claims she was fired after refusing sexual advances from a manager, Eric Mahoney, at The Truth Hollywood hookah bar. The woman doesn’t claim Pierce did anything personally to her, however, she was “employed by Paul Pierce” as a bartender at his bar, restaurant, and hookah lounge. She lists his name in the suit for maintaining a hostile work environment where they “knew of the sexual harassment” and “failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct any future harassing behavior against (the woman.) Therefore, Defendant is responsible for Mahoney’s conduct.”
According to the documents, Piece and Mahoney are being sued for sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation.
The woman said that for the first two weeks she was employed at the bar, she was under the direct supervision of Mahoney. She says that during one of her shifts, the manager asked her to come into his office and he closed the door behind her. In the documents, she says that he began to harass her saying she is “a very pretty young lady.” He went even farther by threatening her job security, saying, “If you hook up with me you can keep your job.”
The woman says that the manager continued to make advances and in reference to a sexual proposition, he said, “and if you don’t” to which the woman responded, “And if I don’t, I’ll be fired?’
He responded, “the ball is in your court,” she says in the documents.
The woman says in the lawsuit that after she denied the manager, she was cut from shifts at the hookah bar, despite contacting another manager about being available for work. The woman is suing for damages and lost wages. The exact amount is not mentioned in the lawsuit.
Paul Pierce did not immediately respond to the lawsuit publicly.
Pierce has played 19 seasons in the NBA, spending most of his career playing for the Boston Celtics. He was given the nickname “The Truth” by Shaquille O’Neal in March 2001, according to NBC Sports. Paul did stints with the Brooklyn Nets, the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Clippers before retiring in 2017. Pierce currently serves as an analyst on ESPN’s “NBA Countdown”.
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