One of Orange County’s most recognized marketing firms is at the center of a sexual harassment lawsuit.
NFL Hall of Famer Warren Moon, the cofounder and president of Sports 1 Marketing in Irvine, has been sued for sexual harassment by his former assistant, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana.
The suit, filed by Wendy Haskell, alleges several improprieties carried out by the former quarterback, including unwanted and unsolicited sexual advances and forcing her to sleep in lingerie in the same bed as Moon on several business trips.
The suit also alleges Moon drugged her on a trip to Mexico, then admitted it and said it was because she wasn’t “having fun.” The suit also alleges Moon grabbed her crotch while she was asleep during a separate business trip to Seattle, according to court documents.
Moon’s lawyer, Daniel Fears, of Payne & Fears LLP in Irvine, released a statement denying the allegations.
“Mr. Moon denies the claims by Ms. Haskell. Mr. Moon contends these claims are meritless, and he has every intention to vigorously defend himself in court,” according to a statement sent to the Business Journal.
Moon, a commentator on the Seattle Seahawks radio network, has requested a temporary leave of absence from his duties, the statement read. Since he works for an NFL team, he faces potential discipline under the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy, according to NBC Sports’ “Profootball” talk website.
The lawsuit further alleges that Haskell reported the incidents to Sports 1 Marketing Chief Executive David Meltzer, but the company took no action, and subsequently demoted her.
“S1M did nothing to stop Moon’s unlawful tortious behavior toward her,” according to court documents. “The company did not conduct an investigation, nor did it reprimand him.”
Public Relations Manager Bradley Hartman told the Business Journal in an email to direct all media inquiries to Payne & Fears.
The Business Journal in August reported that Meltzer was working on a new show with Irvine-based Entrepreneur Media Inc., the publisher of Entrepreneur magazine, dubbed “Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch.”
The show is streamed on several outlets, including Entrepreneur Network, and has aired at least 11 episodes. A new blog, posted today on entrepreneur.com, touted the latest episode highlighting negotiations and rejection.
The Business Journal sent an inquiry late last night to Entrepreneur magazine Managing Editor Jason Feifer and the publication’s public relations arm asking if the company planned to continue its partnership with the company and the project with Meltzer, a key figure on the show as its main investor-judge.
The media company hasn’t responded to those inquiries.
San Francisco-based crowdfunding site Indiegogo, a partner of the show, did not respond to similar Business Journal inquiries.
Aliso Viejo-based Octane, which links regional startups with investors and manages its Visionary Venture Fund, was also involved in the show, handling the first round of due diligence through its accelerator, LaunchPad.
A spokesperson for the nonprofit told the Business Journal, “This wouldn’t be something that we’d comment on.”
Moon cofounded Sports 1 Marketing with Meltzer in 2010.
Its website describes the company as “a global sports and entertainment marketing agency that leverages over $20 billion in relationship capital and over 38 years of business experience,” linking athletes, celebrities, and companies.
Sports 1 lists charities, a mobile donation smart phone app, an oil company, and several India-based firms as “partners.”
Its client list includes the Scott Brooks Invitational, 24 Hour Fitness Golf Tournament and the Dew Tour, a skate and snow competition. Proceeds from the Brooks Invitational benefit student-athlete scholarships at University of California-Irvine. Brooks was a star point guard at the school and played ten seasons in the NBA before becoming a head coach in the league.
A UCI representative for the invitational did not respond to inquiries.
Neither did representatives for the Dew Tour.
Moon, 61, led the University of Washington to a Rose Bowl victory in 1978 and played more than two decades in the Canadian Football League and the NFL, playing with the Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs.
He led the NFL in 1990 in passing yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns.
He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006. The Canton, Ohio-based organization did not respond to inquiries from the Business Journal.
Moon has a checkered past and was arrested in 1995 after his then-wife told police he had slapped and choked her in their Houston home. He was charged but later acquitted after she refused to cooperate with prosecutors. That same year a Vikings cheerleader accused him of sexual harassment and reached a settlement out of court.
Moon was honored in 1989 as the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year, which recognizes a player’s volunteer and charity work, as well as his performance on the field.
Sports 1 Marketing, which employs 25 in Irvine, ranked No. 21 on this year’s Business Journal list of Best Places to Work for small companies.
That list is compiled, assessed and ranked by Harrisburg, Pa.-based Best Companies Group.
The Moon lawsuit is the latest sexual harassment claim in a long list of improprieties levied against some of the nation’s most powerful and influential business and political figures, including Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, Matt Lauer and Minnesota Senator Al Franken, who announced today that we would resign after more allegations surfaced.
