Falkirk buyout bid boss in legal battle over sex pest claim
Ex-employee alleges she was sacked for rejecting his advances
The businessman who plans to take over Championship club Falkirk is being sued by a former employee over alleged sexual harassment.
The woman claims in a US lawsuit that Mark Campbell made repeated unwanted advances towards her.
She alleges that when she rejected him, Campbellampbell then accused her of stealingaling and sacked her.
Court documents, ts, also claim he asked ked to buy her lingerie and made remarks about out her breasts and bottom. tom.
It is also claimeded he tried to get her to stayay the night in his hotel room. oom.
Lawyers acting for the woman say theirr client developed severe anxiety and depression overver what she described as Campbell’s ampbell’s “unrelenting and escalating sexual advances”.
Campbell, 46, who is based in New York, was named preferred bidder byy Falkirk’s Falkirk s current owners s last month and hopes to take over the running of the club within weeks.
The woman’s legal team have lodged the action against Campbell at a cour t in Manhattan.
It is claimed harassment began when she went for an interview with Campbell in October 2017.
Derek Smith Law Group claims Campbell wanted to set up a business with her derived from both their names.
It is alleged the woman was subjected to sexual harassment and a hostile work environment once the firm opened. Campbell isalsoallegedtohavesentaseriesisalsoallegedtohavesentaseries of text messages to celebrate their partnership in which he asked the woman if she would like stay the night with him at his hotel, which she rejected.
He is also alleged to have asked if she thought they would have had sex if she had agreed.
It is claimed the woman was uncomfortable with Campbell’s “inappropriate” messages. She senthimtextssenthimtexts sayingshesayingshe diddidnotnot want a relationship but says he “relentlessly” harassed her.
Her legal representatives claim Campbell then sent her a text asking to buy her lingerie and offered to f ly her to Mexico to spend Thanksgiving with him.
It is also claimed Campbell asked her to fly to London to spend the holiday season with him. The court papers added: “In or around November 2017, Campbell made sexuallyll expll icit comments through text regarding plaintiff’s body and the perverse things he wanted to do to her.”
He is alleged to have said: “Your bum looks in good shape and it is something that I would like to get my hands on. Now with your boobs, I would like to give an honest opinion after I have handled them.” The papers added: “The plaintiff did not respond to Campbell’s unwelcome sexual advances hoping that Campbell would eventually treat her with respect and the business would prosper.”
The woman’s lawyer also claims Campbell doubled her salary in February last year to $5000 (£4153) a month to get her to “acquiesce to his unwelcome sexual advances”.
But in July 2018, she said she was accused of fabricating an invoice and sacked by Campbell.
The court papers said : “Campbell attempted to dominate plaintiff’s personal life with his fantasies and romantic delusions.
“Plaintiff felt and still feels violated and tortured and suffers from anxiety and depression.”
Campbell denies the allallegations.
HeH added: “A nu umber of allallegations were mmade by this peperson and I knknow those alallegations to beb completely untrue.un “Should the situsituation develop, I will defend mysemyself with every means at my disposal and I’m confident of proving my innocence should that be necessary.
“I respect the right of any employee to make a complaint if they feel that necessary, however in this case I believe the allegations, made nearly two years ago, are completely groundless.”
Derek Smith Law Group did not respond to a request for comment.