Porn Valley- It was interesting and quit puzzling at the same time last Friday to note New Sensation's promotional push of John Bowen's movie Domina 4. Especially when Bowen had just been fired by New Sensations. Well not fired but fired in the sense that they no longer wanted Bowen to shoot features for them because they told him features were a dead market. Bowen, whose deal with New Sensations was announced with much fanfare just last September, said, well, let me shoot gonzos for you. In a Catch 22 conversation that was probably intended to go nowhere, New Sensations told him, no, you shoot features for us.
"But you just told me features are dead," said Bowen. Frustrated, that's when Bowen struck a deal to shoot gonzos for Bob East's new company, Phoenix Releasing. But that didn't salve the insult that was apparently added to injury when Bowen attempted to collect money he claimed New Sensations owed him for Domina 4. Bowen said he had $12,000 coming to him. New Sensations, according to Bowen, convinced him otherwise. Bowen told me he never saw a dime of the money.
A clarification of the above statement can be found: http://adultfyi.com/read.aspx?ID=6123
Then, just last week, New Sensations announced that it had signed Ben English to an exclusive performance contract. But, simultaneously, New Sensations employee Deena DeRosa slapped company president Scott Taylor with a lawsuit claiming Taylor also demanded an exclusive performance contract from her that included sexual liaisons at the Hyatt Hotel and the parking lot at Chatsworth Park. DeRosa, who had been the company's vice president of sales, claims in her suit that she was later demoted to data processing assistant when she no longer desired to play ball.
DeRosa's suit calls for a unspecified sum to cover general damages, medical expenses, loss of earning, punitive and exemplary damages; and attorney's fees. Her suit cites sexual harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, retaliation, negligence and negligent supervision among other things.
The suit alleges that Taylor, the President of New Sensations and Digital Sin, pursued and became obsessed with a salacious sexual relationship with DeRosa who was 18 at the time and 20 years his junior. That activity covers the period from January 2001 to December 2003, and, using language generally dispensed in a pulp crime novel, also alleges Taylor used his power and position to entice DeRosa into a "lurid sexual relationship" in which Taylor demanded that DeRosa make herself available for sexual trysts at all times convenient to him, notwithstanding her job duties.
When the sexual relationship between DeRosa and Taylor ended, Taylor, allegedly, retaliated against DeRosa by demoting her from Vice President of Sales to data processing assistant, a position that paid substantially less, with the goal, according to DeRosa, of forcing her to resign from the company's employ. The suit also alleges that DeRosa, who began working for the company on September 25, 2000, was forced to work in an environment pervaded by sexual hostility towards women, where it was common practice to openly watch porn movies and engage in other activity often accompanied by offensive behavior and comments, i.e., Taylor's suggestion that he give DeRosa a "birthday spanking". The suit also contends that DeRosa suffered both psychological damage and economic damage as a result. DeRosa's suit also alleges that New Sensations avoided any company policy to thwart such behavior or take steps to eliminate it.
The suit states that DeRosa was originally employed as assistant to Leilani Whitney the company's managing director and was promoted to vice president of sales the following March of 2001.
DeRosa contends that Taylor initiated and pursued an "obsessive intimate" relationship with her two months prior to her promotion. According to the suit, the liaisons often occurred at New Sensations before, during work hours and on weekends. The relationship was also conducted in other places, including DeRosa's apartment during which Taylor allegedly gave DeRosa gifts and contributed to her rent payments. The suit indicates that DeRosa was pretty much on call to Taylor's whims despite her job demands. The suit also states that DeRosa felt that if she didn't go along with the relationship, her mother's job security was threatened. DeRosa's mother, Penny DeRosa also worked for the company but was subsequently fired.
According to the suit, Taylor's wife found out about the relationship in March or April of 2003 and demanded that Taylor end it and fire DeRosa as soon as possible. However, DeRosa was kept on and subsequently demoted to an assistant's position. She claims that when she complained about the treatment, she was subsequently transferred to a lower salary position that would make her over $300 a week less. In April 2004, DeRosa filed complaints with the state and was placed on paid administrative leave. Meanwhile, DeRosa's mother was terminated about the same time which DeRosa saw as a further act of retaliation.
