Woman wants $1.2 million for office spanking

I would sue the hell out of him too. Unless she allowed it and second guessed it afterwards...

Re: Woman wants $1.2 million for office spanking


yeah, and i'm sure this lawyer's working the case pro bono.

ya know, I'm thinking even if she "allowed" it at the time, she's right in suing them.

I don't think it's exagerating to say she may have experienced the same feelings as when you are raped....you may not fight at the time because you're in shock or scared....but you come to your senses later.

I really hate this kind of crap...these "team building" games, contents, rah rah company cheers and all that other bull.

The defense might say "well, she went along with it" but c'mon, what are you supposed to do when God knows how many people around you have gotten all jazzed up and there's this mob mentality going on? If she said no, she probably would have been subject to more jeers, and would have been kicked out of the good 'ol boy club. One might say "fine", but if that moment you needed your job and have kids to feed or whatever, you can't just walk out.

That kind of stuff is just degrading and humiliating.

I really wonder what the CEO's and other mucky mucks of big corporations are thinking when they have others develope and implement all this stupid stuff.
It makes me think either they think they're some royalty on a throne and we "little people" are just there for entertainment. (let's see how much stupid stuff we can make them do and still say it fun and worthwhile.....they're probably taking bets)....or.....they're farging immature themselves and havent gotten past the "I'm indiana Jones!" garbage, and think adults like that.

woof....that feels better.

what the f/ck?

that isnt a company picnic, that is S&M in public.

we could tell this company what we think of their team-building methods through this online form:

http://www.alarmoneinc.com/about/contact/

we could also write their distinguished counsel, Mr. K. Poncho Baker,
at [email protected]

I think this whole team building thing is totally ludicrious! I've seen milder forms of this before and it's just stupid. I'm with Chai on this one.

Thanks, Ian, for the links.

I ditto Chai all the way around.

That whole "team" building baloney has got to go. I hate hate hate it.

I worked for a company for a bit that was big but they wanted everyone to be on the same "team" - one big happy family. These people weren't my team and they weren't my family, they were my coworkers fercryinoutloud.

I knew the time had come to leave when they called all the upper level drones in for an intervention, yes, you read that right, an intervention, for one of the company vice presidents. We worked for this guy and they wanted us to all talk about how his drinking was "affecting" us.

I sat there horrified and then my turn came. The only thing I could say was "Uhhh... his personal life doesn't affect me at all."

I was throughly cold shouldered by everyone after that (how uncaring), except for said VP who later told me that he appreciated my sanity.

here's my version of "team-building": instead of down-sizing or out-sourcing, get everyone to take pay cuts during lean times. too socialist for the US, alas.

Agreed with Chai and shewolf.

I read this earlier and was appalled. Essentially, this is management not knowing when to stop. And that kind of a lack of impulse control is pretty ridiculous among people who are allegedly adults.

A few years ago, I interviewed for a Data Analyst job at a large cruise ship company. And the company culture required that you go through this huge group interview process, all freakin' day long, to see if you fit in. Everyone else there was looking for a sales agent type of position, and so they were bubbly and all that. But I can turn it on when I want to, so I did the bubbly routine, too. However, when they got to the part of asking people why they wanted to work at the company, I told them I just wanted to work with a particular type of software, I like that software and the company uses it. Period.

I actually made it to the second round of interviews but received an evaluation. Evidently I had barely made it to round 2 and was criticized for talking over people -- which is essentially what people do when they are excited and all that. Eh, whatever. So I go to the second interview (same day) and it takes maybe 5 minutes after the six hour stupid ass ordeal I've just gone through. And the interviewer and I agree that my skills are a bit light for what they want, thank you very much but you're not what we want. Well, that's fine, I can handle rejection, but really, going through the stupid dog and pony show was such an incredible waste of time. I needed the job so I went along with it, and I'm sure that was the logic behind this woman going along with the paddling. But really, this is management pushing as hard as they can, because they can.

PS I hope she gets a substantial sum from her lawsuit. And ....

PPS What idiot names their kid Poncho?

Worse yet, what kinda company hires a lawyer named Poncho?!

$1.2 Mil for a spanking? I'm sure we can find someone that'd be glad to go there for a few hundred bucks - prolly bring her own music, too.

Seriously, though, the company and its bigwigs oughtta be held severely to account for condoning/enabling that sorta nonsense. I hope the lady wins big. Hell, I'd like to see criminal assault charges pressed against the idiots directly responsible.

oh c'mon Timber.. it wasn't anything that doesn't happen at a fraternity or sorority hazing, or a US run military prison for that matter.

I'm telling ya...it comes from somewhere on top...

one day, I had to go to Home Depot really early, like 7am to meet a manager there to discuss sumpfin before I went to work, and I had to wait around about 10 minutes because the manager was having a "team meeting" right there on the floor.

I was sorta listening to what was being said, specials to remember for that day and stuff, when the manager says "ok, let's get out there, but first, lets do our cheer!"

Gimme an H.....
Gimme an O....

For a second, I thought it was a joke. No way could I believe this guy expected 25 grown men and women to respond to this nonsense, especially at 7 freaking 30 in the morning.

For a moment, I was looking in the eyes of one guy, and you could tell he just wanted a hole to open in the floor and swallow him.

I quickly looked away and wandered off a few steps...I felt like I had accidently caught someone going to the bathroom.

1.2 million?! I'd have spanked her for free...

Seriously though, in my experience many-- if not most-- managers and virtually every single management consultant it's ever been my unfortunate experience to meet, have NO clue what team building means, let alone how to go about actually doing it. The programs they devise to "build team spirit" seem like something concocted by mixing equal parts Torquemada, a psychotic high school gym coach and a weekend at cheerleading camp.

1.2 million is probably half what she deserved.

I think the only outfit with which I've ever been associated that actually has a handle on team building would be the USMC.

It is amazing, isn't it?

All of this crap when the truth is, by being, I dunno, respectful and treating people like responsible, honest adults, you actually do build a team. Real friends. People who enjoy hanging out together. Because they actually enjoy each other's company. Because they care when a colleague's spouse becomes sick. Because they feel pride when a coworker's daughter sells the most Girl Scout cookies for her troop or a colleague's son gets the lead in the school play.

Those kinds of atmospheres are few and far between. And they certainly don't arrive after a paddling.

You're absolutely right. I've built a number of highly effective teams in my time and I've participated in even more and they all share the same qualities-- mutual respect and the willingness of the one in charge to treat his subordinates like responsible adults. It's amazing how ably and capably people can respond when made to feel as though they have valuable things to contribute and that their ideas and opinions matter and are heard.

And all without paddles.

A jury awarded $1.7 million Friday to a woman who was spanked in front of her colleagues in what her employer called a camaraderie-building exercise.
The jury of six men and six women found that Janet Orlando, 53, was subjected to sexual harassment and sexual battery when she was paddled on the rear end two years ago at Alarm One Inc., a home security company in Fresno. The jury said Orlando did not suffer from sexual assault, as she had alleged.

Jurors awarded Orlando $10,000 for economic loss, $40,000 for future medical costs and $450,000 for emotional distress, pain and suffering. They awarded her an additional $1.2 million in punitive damages.

Orlando's attorney, Nicholas "Butch" Wagner, did not immediately return calls for comment.

K. Poncho Baker, an attorney for Alarm One, said it was excessive.

"I think the jury was so upset at Alarm One that they went overboard," Baker said. "Not to say that what Alarm One did was right, but this allows her to manipulate the system."

Orlando quit in 2004, less than a year after she was hired, saying she was humiliated during the company's camaraderie-building exercises.

Sales teams were encouraged to compete, and the losers were made fun of, forced to eat baby food, required to wear diapers and spanked with a rival company's yard signs, according to court documents.

Lawyers for the company said Orlando and others took part in the exercises willingly. The company has since abandoned the practice.

During the trial, company attorneys revealed that Orlando had sued a previous employer, also claiming that she had been sexually harassed.

Good for her.