AVN’s lawsuit against XBiz and and former director of advertising Sara Sazzman sounds like a simple matter of what goes around, comes around. In September, 2004, then AVN advertising manager Jennifer Rosenblatt sued AVN for the following:
Breach of Written Contract; Breach of Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing; Wrongful Termination in Violation of Public Policy; Gender and Disability Discrimination; Harassment; Retaliation; Violation of Cal. Gov. Code 12940; and Violation of California Family Rights Act.
From the old Luke Ford website:
. Plaintiff Jennifer Rosenblatt… was fired after she requested time off to attend to a serious illness… Plaintiff was replaced at work by a male.
. Defendant’s publish adult oriented trade magazines that often exploit men’s desires to dominate women sexually and otherwise.
. Plaintiff worked for many years as Senior Vice President and Sales Manager for AVN and TCI [Teddy Communications Inc]. She performed her job competently at all relevant times. At the time she was fired, she was earning more than $300,000 annually in salary, commissions and bonuses.
. In or about April 2002, plaintiff entered into a written employment agreement with AVN and TCI [through March 31, 2006]:
An initial base salary of $75,000 per year increasing to $82,500 per year March 1, 2003 and to $90, 750 on March 1, 2004, and to $99,000 on March 1, 2005;
Additional compensation in the form of a “bonus” of 20% of sales of classified advertising for the life of each contract…
A seven percent commission for sale of all new display advertising,
An automobile allowance of $650 monthly…as of April 2004.
. On or about April 15, 2003, plaintiff was diagnosed with acute anxiety and provided with a doctor’s note recommending that she take a 30 a day leave from work.
. Fishbein refused to allow her to take that leave.
. May 18 defendants fired plaintiff for no cause.
. Defendants have not paid plaintiff what is due her…
. Within the year preceding her termination, and at times prior thereto, defendant ROBERTS repeatedly showed his dislike for women in positions of power in the workplace. ROBERTS spoke in a disparaging tone to female employees. ROBERTS also made inappropriate and offensive sexual remarks and gestures to women, including inappropriate and offensive remarks to plaintiff. Such conduct was unwelcome and plaintiff so informed ROBERTS. Nevertheless ROBERTS persisted in such conduct.
. Within the last 24 months of the plaintiff’s employment, defendants including FISHBEIN fired numerous women and replaced them with men. Only a single female manager remains in defendant’s employ. Defendants were upset that plaintiff made so much money under the Employment Agreement — too much money for a woman.
Gene adds: The suit was settled late in 2005 for an undisclosed amount including a gag order. But from what I’ve been able to conclude, Rosenblatt got compensated enough for the average person to retire.