Regards, Ivan
Posted on 04/21/2006 11:24:40 PM PDT by MadIvan
IT WAS like sooo rude, but a California judge has ruled that writers on the hit TV show Friends did not sexually harass an assistant when salaciously describing the sexual habits and anatomy of some of the show's biggest stars.
Amaani Lyle named the show's writers and producers, along with studios NBC and Warner Brothers, in a long-running lawsuit alleging sexual discrimination, which has now been thrown out of California's supreme court in Los Angeles.
Ms Lyle, 32, who was fired from the show in 1999 after four months over the quality of her transcripts, claimed that the writers' talk of sexually explicit acts and situations - accompanied by hand gestures - amounted to sexual harassment in the workplace, a claim that had serious implications for the day-to-day running of Hollywood studios and their creative processes.
She contended that three of the writers on the show frequently discussed sex acts, having sex with one of the stars, and used common sexual swear words to describe parts of their anatomy. The writers also apparently discussed storylines of a sexual nature, including blonde cheerleaders, short skirts and women's breast sizes, and depicted genitalia on a flip chart.
The studios argued their First Amendment rights, saying that when speech is part of someone's job, it cannot be the basis for a claim against them. They also said Ms Lyle was warned that her work would involve sexually explicit content.
A key plank of the defence's case was that any such speculation on the real-life sex life of Courtney Cox, who played Monica, for example, was not directed at the assistant and so did not constitute harassment.
Many of the more explicit scenes, lines and jokes discussed did not make it into the final cut for the hit sitcom about six 20-something friends which ended a ten-year run in September 2004, although Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel, did once appear as a cheerleader and was also once referred to in the show as "the hermaphrodite cheerleader from Long Island", in a 2001 episode which co-starred her former husband, Brad Pitt.
Justice Marvin Baxter wrote in the ruling: "While [state law] prohibits harassing conduct that creates a work environment that is hostile or abusive on the basis of sex, it does not outlaw sexually coarse and vulgar language or conduct that merely offends."
Judge Baxter's 48-page opinion also stated that the setting was "a creative workplace focused on generating scripts for an adult-oriented comedy show featuring sexual themes".
Outside the courtroom, Ms Lyle's attorney, Mark Weidmann, said: "This decision is utterly appalling and absurd. It really sets women back in the workplace."
And Jeffrey Winikow, of the California Employment Lawyers Association, which represents employees, said the court had failed to tackle underlying sex bias in Hollywood.
Regards, Ivan
Ping!
This girl won't be working in Hollywood anymore, and from what IMDB says, she hasn't since 2002. Sitting in with writers on a sitcom is the most fun anyone can have - so many ideas and so much laughter. Nothing is held back and this girl should have know that before taking the job. Anyone who thinks they can possibly take on Warner Brothers and NBC has a few screws loose anyway.
In the process they pervert and distort the law and wrench society from its roots. Nothing better illustrates these liberal propensities then the excressences called sexual harassment laws.
These laws pervert our sacred First Amendment and distort the relationships between men and women which are better left to the chaff of everyday life. Instead, liberals drag us to the place where we have judges ruling whether a joke is too risqué or not.
res ipsa loquitor
Since May 11, 2007
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