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SEXUAL HARASSMENT LAWSUIT FILED
BY UKRAINIAN WOMAN AGAINST SECURITY MARKETING CONCEPTS AND CLIFFORD
CRANE
October 29, 2009: Today, a former
employee of Security Marketing Concepts, Inc. and Apollo Security
Sales filed a sexual harassment, fraud and wrongful termination
lawsuit against the two companies and their CEO, Clifford Crane. She
also asserted an additional claim against Mr. Crane and another
company in which he is a principal (KMA International Marketing
Corp.) for sexual harassment in housing by a landlord or property
manager.
In her Complaint, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court
(Case No. 30-2009 00315713), Alla Sazonova alleges that Crane
solicited her to leave her home country of Ukraine based on false
assurances of a legitimate and platonic position of employment.
However, after Ms. Sazonova relocated to Orange County to begin
working, the lawsuit alleges that Crane exploited the vulnerability
of her position and used his power and influence over Ms. Sazonova’s
job security and her work visa to coerce and intimidate her into
sexual submission. The Complaint alleges that he provided her with
promised salary increases and preferential treatment when she
succumbed to his sexual advances and that she was threatened with
adverse employment actions and, ultimately, fired when she refused.
According to the allegations in the Complaint, Crane has a history
of pressuring foreign employees to have sex with him after
soliciting them to move here from their home countries.
According to the Complaint, Crane also provided rental housing to
Ms. Sazonova and served as her landlord. Ms. Sazonova’s Complaint
alleges that Crane abused his position as her landlord by using her
housing as leverage to compel her sexual submission. According to
the Complaint, he offered to alleviate her of any rent obligations
when she succumbed to his advances but evicted her when she refused.
Commenting about these allegations, Ms. Sazonova’s attorney, Gregory
D. Helmer of Helmer • Friedman, LLP, said, “If, for whatever reason,
employers want to recruit employees from countries outside the
United States, that is their business decision and their
prerogative. But, employers need to understand that, if they choose
to bring someone over here from another country, they cannot take
advantage of that person’s ignorance of our laws. People who are
brought here to work from other countries are incredibly vulnerable
and incredibly reliant upon the employer’s good intentions. It is
easy for an unscrupulous employer to prey upon them.”
If you are a witness
to any of these events, you are urged to contact Ms. Sazonova’s
attorney, Gregory D. Helmer of Helmer • Friedman, LLP. Mr.
Helmer can be reached at 310-396-7714.
Click here
to read Ms. Sazonva's Complaint For Damages.
DO I HAVE A CASE? CLICK HERE TO FILL OUT FORM
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