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Babyface & Company Hit With Sex And Pregnancy Discrimination Lawsuit
08/16/2002 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Mark Armstrong
(8/16/02, 6 p.m. ET) -- Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Tracey Edmonds, and Edmonds Entertainment Group are among those named in a lawsuit alleging sex discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and civil economic duress, among other claims. Former Edmonds Entertainment Group employee Joie Binns filed the complaint on Wednesday (August 14) in the Los Angeles Superior Court.
According to the court document, Binns claims that she was terminated by Edmonds Entertainment Group in May 2002 because she was dating and had become pregnant by Gavin Rhone, the lead singer of the label's group 3rd Storee.
Binns alleges that Jacqueline McQuarn, Rhone's professional and personal manager, became upset when she learned that Rhone and Binns were in a relationship.
According to the complaint, the letter of termination Binns received on May 24 accused of her of being "incompetent," "a poor employee" and claimed that the company had received numerous complaints regarding her work.
Binns argues that she was a good employee who had received two raises and a promotion since joining the company in November 1999.
After exiting the company, Binns said a label employee and Rhone contacted her requesting that she have a late-term abortion. She was five months pregnant at the time.
Binns said the label employee offered varying amounts of money ($20,000 to $150,000) to have the child aborted. Binns said she refused the offers.
Binns is seeking the following damages--general and compensatory damages, including prejudgment interest; double damages; punitive damages; plaintiff's costs and attorney fees; and other and further relief deemed by the court. Binns is demanding a jury trial.
Peter L. Haviland, attorney for Edmonds Entertainment Group, said Binns's lawsuit is a "sham and a shake-down."
"Joie Binns was fired in May for incompetence and violating company policies," Haviland said in a statement. "Now, months after she was fired, this lawsuit alleges something we never heard when Joie Binns was working for us: that she's pregnant. Edmonds Entertainment opposes discrimination in any form, and also opposes intentionally false claims of discrimination, which are degrading to everyone.
"We anticipate bringing our own counter-claims for defamation and breach of contract in response to Ms. Binns's reckless and fraudulent statements."
3rd Storee recently released its debut single "Get With Me."
-- Billy Johnson Jr., Los Angeles
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