OKLAHOMA CITY (CN) – A legal assistant at the firm Hayes, Magrini and Gatewood claims John Hayes yelled at her, belittled her, pushed her around and made her cry. Holli Gould has sued Hayes for assault and battery in Federal Court, claiming he used to approach her from behind as she was working at her desk, wearing headphones for dictation, and “frogged” her on the arm to get her attention. She says his attacks scared and physically hurt her to the point of tears. He once impatiently told her to “get out of his way” so he could find an envelope, pushing her so that she nearly toppled over in her heels, she claims. When she later asked him not to swear at her, he replied, “You listen here – I’m the boss. I will behave however I like,” the complaint states. On another occasion, she says Hayes angrily grabbed her arm, stuck his face within an inch of hers and hissed, “Goddammit, when I ask you a question, you don’t sit there for a goddamn 15 seconds before answering me, do you hear me?” Gould claims Hayes has a reputation for abusing his staff. And when she approached his senior partners for advice, they allegedly told her to “just smoke a joint before work” and “picture John Hayes in a dress.” She is represented by Rand Eddy. See complaint.
That sounds like reasonable advice to me . . . . Details from Courthouse News Service which, unfortunately, does not provide targeted links to its individual stories.