Verdict Nixed For Woman Spanked At Work

Court Overturns $1.5M Verdict To Calif. Woman Who Was Spanked In Front Of Coworkers

(AP)  An appeals court overturned a $1.5 million verdict awarded to a woman who was spanked in front of co-workers in what her employer called a camaraderie-building exercise.

A jury in 2006 had ruled that Janet Orlando had suffered sexual harassment and sexual battery when she was paddled at home security company Alarm One Inc. The jury punished the company with a $1 million punitive damage award.

But on Monday, a three-judge panel of the state Court of Appeal overturned that verdict, ruling that the jury had been given improper instructions. In particular, the jury wasn't instructed that one vital element of proving that sexual harassment occurred is showing the action was directed at a woman because of her gender.

Lawyers for Alarm One, an Anaheim-based, 300-employee company, said that the spankings were not discriminatory because they were given to both male and female workers and that Orlando and others willingly took part.

Orlando's attorney, Nicholas "Butch" Wagner, vowed to take the case to trial again.

"We may get more this time," Wagner said.

But K. Poncho Baker, the attorney who defended the company at trial in 2006, said that because the company has since gone into bankruptcy and its insurance was exhausted battling Orlando's claim and settling with three other co-workers, there may be little left to recover.

"Good luck retrying this one," Baker said.

Orlando quit the company in 2004, less than a year after she was hired at the Fresno office, saying she was humiliated during the company's team-building practices.

Employees were paddled with rival companies' yard signs as part of a contest that pitted sales teams against one another. The winners poked fun at the losers, throwing pies at them, feeding them baby food, making them wear diapers and swatting their buttocks.

The company has since abandoned the practice.

[cantshutup]

uhhh...i don''t think it''s possible to call spanking an old hag "s exual" ... it''s more like a beat down on the old witch...yelch!

[sharednotion]

It''s unfortunate that because of a judge''s mistake, a plaintiff must wait longer for justice.

[jyu1915]

Team building exercises foisted on employees by management are the equivalent of Japanese workers having to sing company songs. Companies who are so clueless as to not know how to treat employees with simple respect (which would increase productivity more than these inane activities) deserve to be driven out of business.

[erica0416]

"The company has since abandoned the practice."

Seriously...why start...what in the world made them think that was a good idea...crazy

[keithle1]

The male brain has strengths & weaknesses as does the female brain. The male brain likes to work & study in a certain way. The female brain does not usually do well in the "Jeopardy" format. The female brain is not good at inventing things. That''s why we have men to thank for the computer, telephone, car, light bulb, TV, etc, etc, etc. Men kick butt.

She looks like she''s recovering from a bender.

Amazing the time & money companies waste on all of this stupid "team building" stuff. Have employees out in the woods somewhere climbing trees & messing around with ropes. Maybe even doing some white water rafting.

"What have y''all learned today?"

"HOW TO WORK TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE THE COMPANY''S GOALS!"

[blackyowe]

Someone should spank her again for that hair do! Eeeeeeeek!

[gmond]

Tucker, you are still with me. My last line was facetious, from now on I will signify it ;-p

[kennergirl]

I guess she should have settled like the other 3 did. Apparently getting spanked on the job wasn''t liked by her and a few others. The rest of the 297 employees were apparently into it.

[stargate1121]

I would have told them where to go and walked out. No one is going to spank me, make me wear a nappy, etc. no job is not good enough to let that kind of *** happen.

[ehaw]

I got fired from home depot, I would''ve taken a spanking.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by Hwy71So at 10:15 PM : Jan 17, 2008

^5, lol

[cfin5]

WHAT was she thinking letting them spank her in the first place?

A REAL answer please, not some of your liberal mumbo-stick-it-to-em-jumbo nonsense either.

Posted by Hwy71So at 10:13 PM : Jan 17, 2008--------I was thinking it to be an "employment status" peer pressure thing. The things a person will do when bills are due. Still don''t make it right.

[hwy71so]

And I agree with Rowdy on his last statement.

...see Rowdy, I don''t ALWAYS disagree with you. lol

[hwy71so]

I STILL think its funny, and I think those of you that side with her are a few tires short of a unicycle.

WHAT was she thinking letting them spank her in the first place?

A REAL answer please, not some of your liberal mumbo-stick-it-to-em-jumbo nonsense either.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by Vittoria1 at 08:20 PM : Jan 17, 2008

Names really don''t mean much to me, people''s actions do. You''re only a victim if you let yourself be one, unless someone totally overpowers you. Then the fight is on.

If this woman didn''t want to participate in the company''s training program, she could say NO! And then if they fired her, then she has a case.

[zootallures2]

Stupid is as stupid does.

[magoo2u1]

Team building by humiliating part of the team?

[denn034]

That verdict shouldn''t have been overturned. This is outrageous!

[keithle1]

"Team-building"? Barf. Nothing worse than sales. I''d rather clean toilets with my tongue. Why are all companies EXACTLY THE SAME.

If she was hot, I''d like to put her over my lap & spank her myself.

[rowdytexan2]

Posted by Vittoria1 at 08:20 PM : Jan 17, 2008

Who? lol