Dallas real estate CEO Robert \u201cBob\u201d Lovell was ordered this week to pay $5.7 million in damages and fees after a judge determined he repeatedly forced a former employee to perform sex acts and then retaliated against her when she refused.<\/p>\n
The ruling, issued Monday by Dallas County Court at Law Judge Sally Montgomery, is the first to hold an individual Texas business owner or employee personally liable under a law that went into effect in 2021, according to the woman\u2019s attorney, Rogge Dunn.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis judgment sends a message: Executives and employees who sexually harass employees and then retaliate when those employees stand up for themselves will face significant consequences,\u201d Dunn said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Lovell, president and owner of Home Marketing Services Inc., is well known in the Dallas area for his television commercials in which he urges people to \u201cstop making your landlord richer and give us a call.\u201d The ads famously carried the tagline \u201cbless your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lovell\u2019s attorney, Larry Friedman, didn\u2019t respond Tuesday to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
The former employee, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, sued Lovell in December 2021 after working for him for about three years, according to Dunn.<\/p>\n
Montgomery wrote in a finding of facts in the case that she believed the victim\u2019s testimony over Lovell\u2019s. Testimony from other employees corroborated the victim\u2019s statements, the judge said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll of Defendant\u2019s actions toward Plaintiff were willful, intentional, outrageous, and malicious acts designed to discriminate, sexual assault, commit battery, retaliate and cause severe intentional infliction of emotional distress and mental anguish in addition to violating her protected legal rights under both Texas Statutory law and common law,\u201d Montgomery wrote.<\/p>\n
The sexual harassment and assaults began several months after the woman began working for Lovell and continued until she was fired about two and a half years later, according to her attorney.<\/p>\n
Lovell used code words and phrases to let the woman know he wanted oral sex, according to the judge\u2019s findings.<\/p>\n
The woman, who was also supporting her adolescent daughter and mother at the time, \u201creasonably believed\u201d she would lose her job if she refused, the judge ruled.<\/p>\n
When the woman tried to avoid Lovell, he would go into her office and say things like, \u201cWhat are we going to do about your daughter\u2019s health insurance premiums?\u201d while grabbing his crotch, the order said.<\/p>\n
As a result of the assaults, the woman developed depression, anxiety, insomnia and headaches. She also was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and began losing her hair, the judge\u2019s order said.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until the woman\u2019s adult daughter was sexually harassed by Lovell that she finally refused his demands, the judge\u2019s findings said. Lovell removed the woman\u2019s younger daughter from her health insurance plan immediately afterwards, the document said.<\/p>\n
After the woman filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and informed Lovell of her intent to sue, she was fired.<\/p>\n
A second woman sued Lovell in 2023, alleging that he fondled her breasts when she delivered the custom clothes he had ordered from her. It was not known Tuesday whether that case was still pending.<\/p>\n
The case against Lovell is a disturbing example of the sexual harassment that can occur in the workplace. It highlights the importance of holding executives and employees accountable for their actions and providing support to victims of harassment.<\/p>\n
The ruling in this case sends a strong message that sexual harassment will not be tolerated and that those who engage in such behavior will face significant consequences.<\/p>\n
Q: What was the outcome of the case against Lovell?<\/strong> A: Lovell was ordered to pay $5.7 million in damages and fees.<\/p>\n Q: What were the allegations against Lovell?<\/strong> A: Lovell was accused of repeatedly forcing a former employee to perform sex acts and retaliating against her when she refused.<\/p>\n Q: Is this the first case of its kind in Texas?<\/strong> A: Yes, this is the first case to hold an individual Texas business owner or employee personally liable under a law that went into effect in 2021.<\/p>\n Q: What can be done to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace?<\/strong> A: Employers can take steps to prevent sexual harassment by providing training, establishing clear policies, and holding employees accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n Q: What resources are available to victims of sexual harassment?<\/strong> A: Victims of sexual harassment can file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and seek support from organizations that provide resources and assistance to victims of harassment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Disturbing Case Dallas real estate CEO Robert \u201cBob\u201d Lovell was ordered this week to pay $5.7 million in damages and fees after a judge determined he repeatedly forced a former employee to perform sex acts and then retaliated against her when she refused. The ruling, issued Monday by Dallas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":18613,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18611","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/PFBRJJNTGFEIXGEYP5TTVO2EII.png?auth=95815ea7e2ec7450935b1ee28d313e0cc133fa072304106b7eb758f3272a5f95&quality=80&width=1200&height=630&smart=true","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18614,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18611\/revisions\/18614"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}