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Seattle Developer Lorig Sues to Gag Anti-Discrimination Protests
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 11/19/2009 - 18:16
On Monday, November 16th, Seattle-based property developer Lorig Associates served a lawsuit against the members of a local community organization known as the Seattle Solidarity Network (SeaSol). According to its website, www.seasol.net, SeaSol is an all-volunteer workers' and tenants' group which organizes activities such as picketing, leafleting, and office delegations to pressure employers and landlords whom they believe are responsible for mistreating someone in the Network.
In its lawsuit, the developer seeks a court injunction "prohibiting Defendants from making any statements or acting in any manner that adversely affects Lorig's goodwill or reputation, including but not limited to...leafleting, picketing, or otherwise negatively painting Lorig in a false light." It also seeks an order for Solidarity Network members to pay unspecified damages to Lorig.
According to its website, SeaSol's conflict with Lorig began over its belief that CEO Bruce Lorig had unjustly fired a longstanding African American employee, Patricia Milton, in a conflict over alleged workplace discrimination and harassment. Lorig's Chief Operations Officer, Tom Fitzsimmons, has recently released statements denying that Mr Lorig is racially prejudiced, citing the company's employment of multiple black workers both currently and at various times in the past. Despite these statements, SeaSol has continued to describe Milton's treatment as "discrimination" and has urged individuals and institutions to avoid doing business with Lorig.
On Tuesday, Milton and several other SeaSol supporters addressed the City Council of Olympia, calling Lorig's lawsuit "despicable" and an attempt to "crush a community organization and gag public speech." Olympia had been considering hiring Lorig to develop a downtown parking structure, but voted later in the meeting to cancel the project, citing the poor economy.
The first court hearing in the dispute will be on Tuesday, November 24th, at 8:30 am at the King County Superior Court, 516 3rd Ave, Seattle. Judge Laura Inveen will hear Lorig's request for a Temporary Restraining Order to immediately block the defendants from leafleting, picketing, or speaking against Lorig.
Right on Bruce! Stand your
Right on Bruce! Stand your ground and fight fire with fire!If If the employee didn't deserve to be let go, then she has the right to handle it in court. I wasn't there so I obviously don't have the details on her termination but I am a business owner and if an employee is fired for discrimination and harassment as stated in the article then then it's up to the courts to decide not a bunch of picket sign peddlers. Go ahead with your "freedom of speech" and Bruce can show you "freedom of expression". Save the money youre spending on posterboard and markers and help pay her attorney fees if you think she was wrongly terminated. Side note: African-American... has she ever even been to Africa much less born there? If this was a White employee you wouldn't hear a peep from any picket sign peddling Jackasses. I am so tired of all the race card crap! Let it go...
What if she doesn't have
What if she doesn't have money for a lawyer? Ever think about that? No, of course you didn't.
Inveen
She's the judge that wanted women attorneys to wear skirts in her courtroom. Looks like a tough day for our folks over at seasol. I'm with them.
Judge Inveen
Wrong. It was former Judge Burrage who made the remark about skirts. Inveen is probably not a bad judge for this hearing.
Judge Inveen
Wrong. It was former Judge Burrage who made the remark about skirts. Inveen is probably not a bad judge for this hearing.
You're absolutely correct - I
You're absolutely correct - I was wrong. My apologies.
Any chance of deleting my error so as not to spread misinformation.
Apologies again.