A Disney employee is suing the company for allegedly hiding a pattern of sexual assault by a former executive.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, a Jane Doe has claimed that Nolan Gonzales, Disney’s former VP of distribution, was allowed to repeatedly “harass women with impunity.”
The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, alleges, “Management was incentivized to hide Gonzales’s harassment because he generated valuable revenue.”
The plaintiff noted in the suit that the sexual assaults occurred multiple times in 2017 and that she was raped while incapacitated by ecstasy and a date rape drug.
She also accused Gonzales of threatening to release private videos of their acts together to “ruin her career” when she attempted to break contact in 2018.
The suit states that the plaintiff is not the “first victim nor his last” and that Disney management was well aware of his continued sexual misconduct but refused to investigate or take action.
Gonzales stepped down in 2022 amid sexual harassment claims from three other women.
In addition, the plaintiff alleges Disney demoted her for speaking out against the accused.
“Disney used the rolling layoffs as an excuse to demote Plaintiff and to place her on a different team where she did not manage any direct reports,” the suit claims.
“Previously, Plaintiff was a supervisory level employee who trained and directed three subordinates,” it continues.
The suit also notes, “Now, Plaintiff’s essential job duties are much smaller in scope and are similar to duties she performed at Disney ten years ago.”
This comes as Disney is also currently battling a lawsuit from 9,000 employees who claim the company has been discriminating against female employees via the Hollywood Reporter.
The suit accuses Disney of “rampant pay discrimination,” claiming that the company has paid women less than their male counterparts for years.
In recently unsealed court documents, the Hollywood Reporter discovered that in 2020, NaShawn Bacon, VP of compensation, noted the existence of a “pay equity nightmare.”
Both cases are ongoing and expected to be heard in 2024.
