SANTA MONICA (CN) - Former colleagues of Spanish-language radio star Eduardo "Piolín" Sotelo - and their attorneys - tried to extort him for $4.9 million by promising to "seal their lips" and take allegations of workplace sexual harassment "to the grave," the broadcaster claims in court.
Sotelo sued six former staff members of his Univision radio program, "Piolín por la Mañana," and their attorneys, in Superior Court.
Sotelo alleges civil extortion and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
"This case arises from the defendants' ingratitude, unmitigated greed, and desire to extract from plaintiff some perceived revenge and an undeserved monetary windfall, all of which culminated in a wrongful attempt to extort from plaintiff almost $5 million," Sotelo says in the complaint.
"This conduct constitutes criminal and civil extortion as a matter of law. Rather than accede to defendants' extortionate demands, plaintiff has brought the present action to protect his rights and to expose defendants' shameful and criminal conduct."
Sotelo came to the United States in 1986, began working as a news reader for a Spanish-language station in Corona in 1991, and launched his morning talk show with Univision in Los Angeles.
Sotelo's show, featuring a "mixture of farce, sarcasm, sound gags, outrageous comments and interviews with listeners," became top-rated in the U.S. Hispanic market and was nationally syndicated on more than 60 radio stations, according to the lawsuit.
"As he prospered, Piolín shared his good fortune and blessings by giving others the opportunity to work in Spanish-language radio. Among those he recruited or welcomed to the program were a high school friend working in a fast-food restaurant; a bakery deliveryman; an online copywriter; a warehouse employee; a medical waste hauler; and a female traffic reporter. In yet another example of no good deed going unpunished, these are now the six ex-employee defendants in this action," Sotelo says in the lawsuit.
Former Univision employees named as defendants are Tomás Alejandro, Fernandez Samuel Heredia, Gerardo Palencia, Domingo Rodrigo Ochoa, Sergio Vera, and Bertha "Betty" Velasco.
Also sued are Richard R. Clayton, John C. Taylor, Taylor & Ring LLP.
The home Internet page of the Taylor & Ring law office, checked this morning, lists staff attorneys who include Robert R. Clayton and John C. Taylor.
In the complaint, Sotelo claims that while the Univision employee defendants worked for him he authorized raises for them and provided loans and additional payments through his production company, Piolín Productions. They also received other perks, including free travel and interacting with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, according to the lawsuit.
"In return, the ex-employee defendants have betrayed Piolín's kindness and generosity by conspiring to extort from him $4.9 million under the threat of going public with false allegations of workplace misconduct and sexual harassment," Sotelo says in the complaint.
The 18-page lawsuit refers to him throughout at Piolín, Spanish for "Tweety Bird." (Songbirds, in Spanish, do not say "tweet, tweet," they say "pío, pío.")
Sotelo claims the seeds of the extortion plot were planted in 2006, after Ochoa, the former online copywriter, was hired to be responsible for day-to-day operations and promotions.
