Closing arguments in Fresno workplace spanking case–
By JULIANA BARBASSA, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
(04-26) 17:07 PDT Fresno, Calif. (AP) —
A saleswoman who was spanked in front of her co-workers as part of what her employer said was a camaraderie-building exercise sat quietly in a courtroom Wednesday as lawyers gave closing arguments at her civil trial.
Janet Orlando, 53, is seeking at least $1.2 million in damages for the embarrassment she said she suffered at the hands of her employer, Alarm One Inc. during the spankings. She quit her job in Fresno and sued in 2004, alleging discrimination, assault, battery and infliction of emotional distress.
“No reasonable middle-aged woman would want to be put up there before a group of young men, turned around to show her buttocks, get spanked and called abusive names, and told it was to increase sales and motivate employees,” said her lawyer, Nicholas “Butch” Wagner.
Lawyers for Alarm One, an Anaheim-based 300-employee security alarm system company, said the spankings were part of a voluntary program to build employee camaraderie and were not discriminatory because they were given to both male and female workers.
“This is being done for one reason and one reason only — money,” said K. Poncho Baker, the company’s lawyer.
The paddlings using competitors’ yard signs began as a contest that pitted sales teams against each other, with winners poking fun at the losers, according to court documents. The conduct included throwing pies at the losers, feeding them baby food, making them wear diapers and swatting their buttocks.
Alarm One officials ceased the practice in the same year Orlando sued after another employee complained of being injured, according to court records.
1. FRESNO!
2. Lawyers named Nicholas “Butch” Wagner and K. Poncho Baker.
3. “No reasonable middle-aged woman would want…”
4. Folks, nonconsensual diaper play is not an accepted motivational technique.
5. I wonder what the nature of the other “injury” was?
URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2006/04/26/state/n132655D91.DTL
Be My Blog 
I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.
LikeLike
I’m fascinated by shit like this. I want to know how it happened, like, what was the decision process like?
LikeLike
The decision process was the usual moronic shit that happens in American corporate culture. It was probably started innocently enough–however moronic in nature–but in pratice it escalates organically into this incredibly inappropriate spectacle. Before anyone knows what’s happened, people are being spanked and eating baby food. And then the regional manager has soiled himself.
LikeLike
MEMORANDUM:
From: Dick Trousers, EVP Regional Sales
To: All
CC: Betty O’Really, VP Human Resources
SUBJECT: I HAVE SOILED MYSELF AND OTHERS
LikeLike
STAPLER FOR SIDES, PLEASE
“Dick Trousers”! Glorious!
LikeLike
Reasonable?
Lot’s of middle aged chics like spankings…
LikeLike
Re: Reasonable?
Probably not from Lumbergh, though!
LikeLike
Re: Reasonable?
Um, yeh…good point there.
LikeLike
After witnessing the boss’ idea of a “team-building exercise,” Butch decided to show him his own idea of a “meat-building exercise.”
LikeLike
Did you ever see the movie “Secretary” with Maggie Gyllenhaal?
LikeLike
Yeah, good movie!
LikeLike
Couldn’t help thinking about that. It makes it kind of hard to take any such cases seriously.
Great movie though, and amazing acting by them both. I imagine it to have been quite a lot of fun to do. But really, just the way it seems like it’s their own little private universe, totally detached from the real world. So different from any sort of work place you’d find today. Especially the one in the article.
LikeLike