LOS ANGELES (CN) - The former Playboy Mansion party supervisor says her bosses fired her after 10 years of glowing reviews to promote a "younger image." Jennifer Lewis, 47, claims Playboy ditched her in favor of a 33-year-old woman as part of its practice of demoting older women.
Lewis says Hugh Hefner began discriminating against her when Playboy decided to "phase [her] out." She claims Playboy demoted her to half-time status, along with at least five other women who were older than 45.
Hefner asked her future replacement, Amanda Warren, to plan a Playboy Mansion movie night, then blamed Lewis for security snafus and poor coordination that deprived some guests of seats, according to her Superior Court complaint.
Before firing her, Playboy magazine ran an interview with Warren, complete with photos of the younger woman and questions about what it was like to plan Playboy parties, as if Warren already held Lewis' job, the lawsuit states.
Lewis says Playboy fired her while she was on medical leave after dental surgery that caused a "physical disability with her front tooth" and kept her from chewing her food properly.
Playboy locked her out, Lewis claims, changed her email and voicemail passwords and refused to let her visit the mansion to say goodbye to her colleagues or pack up personal photos.
Lewis says Playboy also abruptly ended her health-care benefits and sent her incorrect paperwork to keep her from access to COBRA health-care benefits.
Lewis sued Playboy Enterprises, Hugh Hefner, Dick Rosenzweig, Mary O'Connor, Amanda Warren, Brenda Villa and Roz Dawson for unspecified damages.
She is represented by Randall Garteiser with Singer & Garteiser of San Francisco.
Follow @@karinapdx
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
Alaska, Hawaiian Airlines April 17, 2024 -
-
Contributor-Test-Post-2024-04-12 April 12, 2024 -
