On Friday, the L.A. Kings suspended Tim Smith, the man who portrays team mascot “Bailey” after an employee charged him with sexual harassment.
The team suspended Smith after a member of the team’s Ice Crew filed an anonymous lawsuit alleging that Smith sexually harassed her, TMZ Sports reported.
The woman, going by the name “Jane Doe,” filed a lawsuit last week in which she charged that the Ice Crew manager repeatedly made inappropriate comments of a sexual nature to her, overtly ogled her “breasts and buttocks,” and then fired her when she complained.
The woman notes that she was soon re-hired, but she claims Smith’s behavior did not change.
The Kings released a statement saying that Smith has been suspended pending an internal investigation into the allegations.
“We are aware of the recently-filed lawsuit alleging misconduct by one of our employees,” Kings officials said, according to TMZ. “The LA Kings take these allegations very seriously and, as an organization, we believe that everyone has the right to work in an environment free from any form of harassment or discrimination.
“We will conduct a thorough investigation into this matter,” the team concluded.” The employee in question has been suspended, effective immediately, pending the conclusion of that investigation. We are withholding any further comment at this time.”
The woman filed her lawsuit against Smith, the Kings, and its ownership group AEG, asking for more than $1 million in damages.
Smith, who has been with the team since 2007, was also the focus of a 2017 harassment lawsuit in which he was charged with grabbing an employee’s buttocks. That suit was settled out of court in 2018.
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