Geno being sued

[speedoo]

Not even at the 24 hour point yet. I, for one, am wary of piling on.

Right, way too early to be optimistic on that point. After a week or two, maybe.

 

[alexrgct]

LOL I never know the correct past tense of that word

People are hanged, literally or figuratively. Never-animate objects are hung.

My good grammar deed for the day.

 

[Kait14]

People are hanged, literally or figuratively. Never-animate objects are hung.

My good grammar deed for the day.

Well thank you.. Saying hanged just doesn't sound right to me lol

 

[easttexastrash]

I'm not so sure. All he is being accused of in the intial incident is a rebuffed flirtation. That's not particularly damning. There are a lot of other proof hurdles for the plaintiff to negotiate before she could prevail.

"flirtation"...now there is some good spin.

 

[easttexastrash]

I have begun a deep dive on this "woman". ["findings" removed" - JS]

Be careful what you post about her or imply...she may sue you. Don't put Nan in the position of having to reveal your identity to authorities.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Be careful what you post about her or imply...she may sue you. Don't put Nan in the position of having to reveal your identity to authorities.

I am only posting public data.

 

[winlots]

A banner day (event) for those who are so busy trying to divide us along every conceivable dimension, such as gender, ethnicity, age, race, income......all the while failing to recognize (or choosing to ignore) our common bond as human beings.

 

[JS]

I am only posting public data.

We don't need research attacking her on her background or associations.

If the defendants' lawyers come to the point of going after her credibility, that will done within boundaries acceptable to the court.

 

[speedoo]

JS, I would be very interested in hearing any comments you, and other real attorneys (as opposed to the rest of us pretenders) might have re. The actual complaint.

 

[Huskymaniac]

We don't need research attacking her on her background or associations.

If the defendants' lawyers come to the point of going after her credibility, that will done within boundaries acceptable to the court.

Who is attacking her? I am just trying to get a better picture of who this person is and, maybe, better understand her motives. Again, I am just posting public information. I'm not sure how posting facts is equated with attacking.

 

[JS]

JS, I would be very interested in hearing any comments you, and other real attorneys (as opposed to the rest of us pretenders) might have re. The actual complaint.

There isn't a lot to be said, speedoo. A complaint is a flexible thing that can be and often is amended multiple times. So it's not a stationary target. My initial reaction was, of course, picky.

1. You don't use words like "incredibly" in a complaint; save it for an argumentative brief and use such words sparingly even then. No big deal, just looks kind of sloppy.

2. Plaintiff is riding two horses here -- some sort of tortious outside interference with her employment relationship and a glass ceiling AT her employment. She starts out with the first narrative, then suddenly throws in the kitchen sink with the second. Query which is her real case and which is her leverage. Query whether the dots ever connect.

3. All in all, as regards Geno pretty thin gruel. As mentioned earlier, a long probative row to hoe both as to events and causal connections as, I think, cohenzone expressed.

Would add that her lawyers are already making settlement noises to the press. As well as not especially professional comments like "He may be an icon in some circles but he's just a defendant to us." Sounds cocky, unnecessary, heedless.

I could see the NBA/USA offering her something to go away and Geno not doing so. She's taken an action that puts at stake his personal reputation in reaction to a claimed loss of a plum career assignment that she's had before and should in her view have had again. He denies, at the least, causing that loss, and to pay her anything would seem (whether so intended or not) to confirm her claims as to the fact 0f the personal encounter, her interpretation of it and a supposed vindictive aftermath.

So I could see a stance on his part of going forward until she either drops him as a defendant or proves her case.

 

[JS]

Who is attacking her? I am just trying to get a better picture of who this person is.

Your first announced research results featured guilt by association. Any further discussion of your intentions will need to be by PM.

 

[speedoo]

JS, thanks for the comments re. The complaint.. I had a similar reaction, basically I expected something much more professional and cogent, that hung together better. In a sense, more persuasive.

I also am seeing, with comments by plaintiff's lawyers, a wish for settlement that seems pretty clear. Maybe they think attacking Geno in the media, however subtly done, will pressure him to settle. Maybe they don't know him well enough to make that assumption.

And I agree, Geno may well dig his heels in and go for broke, even if it requires that his part in the suit is separated from the other parties.

 

[vtcwbuff]

"then he is home free. "

No matter what the outcome, unless all the allegations are proven to be 100% BS, Auriemma does not come out of this unscathed.

 

[CamrnCrz1974]

There's no such thing as innocent until proven guilty in public opinion anymore. Look at Duke, those guys were hung before they were even given a trial.

Including by most of the people on this board, Nancy Grace, several professors at Duke, etc....

And then, the facts came out.

 

[Replicant]

Thank you. Started Rehab this week (got me walking and riding bikes). Be awhile before I can get back to work. Good thing the Euro soccer tournament is on....gives me something to do all day. (besides post on here or the Cesspool - not allowed to get my heart rate up that high )

I've been lovin' Euro 2012...Gehe Deutschland!

 

[Tonyc]

There's no such thing as innocent until proven guilty in public opinion anymore. Look at Duke, those guys were hung before they were even given a trial. Kobe Bryant as well. In the public's eye, an accusation means you're guilty.

The Duke guys were hung before hand and now are cashing in with a lawsuit.

 

[DudleyDoRight]

The complaint states that the defendant was overheard calling the plaintiff "ghetto" and having said "I don't know why they are calling Shaniqua over here." It is not detailed who overheard this and how it was reported to Hardwick. Was it the two players? That remains to be determined.

I think that the claims of racially insensitive language would be as alarming than the claim of sexual harassment.

I agree, this information was very disturbing to me. It also appears that if this did happen, it could be corroborated as it occurred with others present.

 

[speedoo]

Good find by JA in his blog, some questions about the lawsuit from a real "expert", an employment lawyer.. Some, if not most, of the questions suggest that the plaintiff is looking for a settlement.. My layperson interpretation, obviously.

Anyway, its an interesting take, from someone with real expertise.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

I agree, this information was very disturbing to me. It also appears that if this did happen, it could be corroborated as it occurred with others present.

I agree with most UConn fans that there is probably little to the Geno portions of the complaint, as I stated earlier, the "glass ceiling" is another issue. Think about Kantner.

However, and referring to what DDR is referring, i.e. Racially Insensitive Language, I would just like to comment that that is closer to what CVS said in the infamous incident. I read in a post above that CVS called him a racist, while I really think it was more using inappropriate language. If he was a racist, the whole world would know it, I think.

 

[Wonkster]

... Geno will probably settle so as not to risk his reputation further.

Why? So fifteen more phony lawsuits can be launched against him? Whatever you're willing to pay for you'll soon have more offered for you to buy.

 

[UConnCat]

Geno's lawyers will seek to dismiss the complaint and I don't see how it survives such a motion. As has been stated by others, the legal claim against Geno is very, very weak. The complainant and Geno work for different employers. The complainant's employer is the NBA and Geno is working for USAB. The complaint doesn't assert a direct discrimination claim against Geno (how could it? Complainant doesn't work for Geno or USAB), but instead asserts that NBA is responsible for Geno's alleged unlawful conduct through the principle of respondeat superior (employer is responsible for the conduct of its employees, agents, contractors, etc.). But if the plaintiff prevails on that theory, by definition the claim is only against the NBA, not Geno.

A couple of additional thoughts. There is no way that Carol Callan and USA Basketball heard about this situation for the first time yesterday. I doubt there is anything involving USA Basketball that Callan doesn't know about. The filing of the lawsuit may have been news, but it appears USA Basketball knows why Hardwick won't be in London in July. This is from John A's blog:

USA Basketball continued to withhold comment Tuesday and would not explain why Hardwick was fired. A source familiar with situation told the Courant Monday night that her dismissal stemmed from unprofessional conduct more than a beef with Auriemma.

“That will all come out in due process,” said USA Basketball spokesman Craig Miller.

 

[UConnLen]

Actually, that's not exactly correct.

She provided a list of witnesses, who she said knew about the encounter, to the N.B.A. this year, in an attempt to retain her Olympic assignment, she said. But the league’s general counsel did not talk to these people, or to Mr. Auriemma, according to the lawsuit.

“I was willing to close this story in 2009,” Ms. Hardwick said in an interview last week. “If Geno had not interfered with my job and my livelihood, I would not have filed this lawsuit.”

In the suit, Ms. Hardwick, 46, a lawyer and a former New York City undercover narcotics detective, accused Mr. Auriemma, the N.B.A. and USA Basketball, which oversees the women's Olympics team, of employment discrimination.

It's possible she lost her job for some other reason, and was trying to find a scapegoat to blame and now accused him of sexual assault, but as a lawyer and former NYC undercover narcotics detective, I find it difficult to imagine that she'd be making it all up.

On the flip side, I have a hard time imagining Geno actually doing what she accused him of. Not to be overly dramatic, but if true, this would potentially be the worst thing to ever happen to WCBB at UCONN...

No-from what I read I am correct. From the NYT story:

A short time later, the two women excused themselves and headed upstairs to their rooms, they said. Mr. Auriemma got on the elevator with them. Ms. Shannon exited first. As Ms. Hardwick exited on another floor and walked to her room, she said, she sensed someone behind her.

Thus, they were alone. Read the story...

 

[speedoo]

Geno's lawyers will seek to dismiss the complaint and I don't see how it survives such a motion. As has been stated by others, the legal claim against Geno is very, very weak. The complainant and Geno work for different employers. The complainant's employer is the NBA and Geno is working for USAB. The complaint doesn't assert a direct discrimination claim against Geno (how could it? Complainant doesn't work for Geno or USAB), but instead asserts that NBA is responsible for Geno's alleged unlawful conduct through the principle of respondeat superior (employer is responsible for the conduct of its employees, agents, contractors, etc.). But if the plaintiff prevails on that theory, by definition the claim is only against the NBA, not Geno.

A couple of additional thoughts. There is no way that Carol Callan and USA Basketball heard about this situation for the first time yesterday. I doubt there is anything involving USA Basketball that Callan doesn't know about. The filing of the lawsuit may have been news, but it appears USA Basketball knows why Hardwick won't be in London in July. This is from John A's blog:

USA Basketball continued to withhold comment Tuesday and would not explain why Hardwick was fired. A source familiar with situation told the Courant Monday night that her dismissal stemmed from unprofessional conduct more than a beef with Auriemma.

“That will all come out in due process,” said USA Basketball spokesman Craig Miller.

Probably my favorite post in this thread, Cat. Question: how quickly could Geno's lawyers file to dismiss the complaint against him, and is it feasible that that could be adjudicated quickly?

My theory, assuming the alleged kissing attempt either did not happen, or is exaggerrated, is that plaintiff's lawyers want Geno involved to create additional pressure to settle.. If I am right, Geno might counter sue for defamation of character, or something like that, correct?

 

[HuskyNan]

Probably my favorite post in this thread, Cat. Question: how quickly could Geno's lawyers file to dismiss the complaint against him, and is it feasible that that could be adjudicated quickly?

For the record, Cat is a Reliable Source for legal issues.