Jenny Lewis has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (“Playboy”), alleging that she was improperly terminated from her employment at the iconic Playboy Mansion. For 11 years, Ms. Lewis was employed as Playboy’s Guest Relations Coordinator (a/k/a the Party Planner). Playboy terminated her on November 4, 2009, while she was still on medical leave recovering from surgery.
On behalf of Ms. Lewis, Randall T. Garteiser of Singer & Garteiser LLP filed suit against Playboy Enterprises and named individuals, including Hugh Hefner. The Complaint contains 12 counts of liability against Playboy.
One count recites that after receiving a decade of annual reviews where she consistently “exceeded expectations,” Ms. Lewis became a victim of retaliation for questioning certain practices at Playboy that she believed to be a violation of the California Employment and Fair Housing Act.
Another count alleges that after Playboy gave Ms. Lewis permission and its blessing to take much needed medical leave, Playboy then terminated her while she was on it recovering from surgery. Playboy’s action was unlawful under the California Employment and Fair Housing Act, according to the Complaint.
In support of her gender discrimination claim, the Complaint recites in addition to herself at least five women were demoted in the back-office of the Playboy Mansion, while Playboy management refused to demote any men that were in similarly situated job positions.
At this time, it is unclear if there is any connection between the termination of Ms. Lewis and her previous employment by Ms. Hefner, who Mr. Hugh Hefner has recently filed for divorce from after over ten years of separation.
