Lawyers have filed a class action lawsuit against Seattle Impact FC owner Dion Earl as well as the Major Arena Soccer League and its commissioner Kevin Milliken.
The scathing lawsuit on behalf of former Impact employees referred to Earl’s conduct as owner of the Kent-based Impact as “despicable” and called him a “tyrant,” according to court documents. The first-year indoor soccer team opened its season Nov. 8 at the ShoWare Center.
Earl was more interested in the dance team than the soccer club and used the soccer team as a vehicle to promote himself, including throwing his image and name on “all of the Seattle Impact promotional material,” according to the papers filed this month by HKM Employment lawyers Jason Ritterieser and Don Heyrich.
The attorneys are pursuing a number of damages, including emotional distress related to the alleged wrongful terminations, emotional and physical distress related to the sexual assaults and the loss of incomes related to employees who quit their jobs only to transfer into the hostile environment that Earl fostered.
Lawyers filed the suit on behalf of former Impact employees Elizabeth Buslon, Jessilyn Roberts, Amy David, Lauren Baumann, Danielle Esquibel and Joe David.
Earl and Milliken have declined comment on the issue until they are formally served with the court summons. Earl also coaches and plays for the Impact.
Ritterieser goes on to allege that Earl harassed, bullied and intimidated his employees to remain silent about his conduct due to an anti-disparagement agreement he had them sign. Using this agreement, Earl was able to exercise minute control over the organization to prevent any word of his wrongdoing from reaching the public.
His behavior culminated in two incidents in September when he allegedly sexually assaulted two women on the Impact’s dance team, which has since disbanded. The first incident was at the Dream Girls strip club in Seattle, while the second was at his home in Kent.
“This man is dangerous and must be held accountable for his actions,” said Seattle resident Bill Austin, who briefly worked as an account manager for the Impact.
According to Austin, Earl sent similar suggestive messages to his daughter, asking her to join him as his personal masseuse during a two-day trip to Portland, Oregon. Austin’s daughter worked for Earl as a babysitter at the time.
In addition to Earl’s allegedly dangerous behavior towards both women and young girls, the document claims that he wrongfully terminated employees who wouldn’t “have his back” and threatened other employees into obedience.
The HKM lawyers are also pursuing claims against Milliken, the league commissioner, for negligence in both hiring Earl and his handling of the sexual assault allegations. The attorneys claim that Earl’s court history was “well documented and easily obtained through Internet searches and public court records.” Earl’s past includes charges for theft and an arrest for robbery, as well as forging a signature on a child support order.
Based on these established past trends, Rittereiser and Heyrich assert that Milliken was negligent in hiring Earl into a position of confidence and power and then placing him close to vulnerable employees.
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