The Big Lead reported on Tuesday that ESPN recently settled a sexual harassment suit levied against the company by a former makeup artist named Sue Baumann, who routinely worked on the talent for ESPN’s NFL Countdown, including top dog Chris Berman.
Per TBL, the suit alleges that after Baumann was fired this summer by the company that contracted her out to ESPN—she was not a full-time ESPN employee—claims of sexual harassment were pointed at Berman.
A person familiar with the matter told The Big Lead that there were allegations against Berman – including comments he allegedly made in the makeup room and text messages going back a few years – and ESPN decided to settle. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the claims.
In a statement to The Big Lead, ESPN spokesman Josh Krulewitz said: “Our thorough investigation revealed the harassment claims had no merit. We settled it solely to save a considerable amount of time and litigation costs.”
The rest of the dialog has some ridiculous gossip, with one anonymous attack against Baumann for being “overdressed for the job.” That comment comes just before the introduction of Cris Carter to the story, as TBL obtained a police report filed in 2013 from Baumann’s house noting:
“[T]wo private investigators showed up claiming to have been “hired by ESPN.” The private investigators told Baumann’s husband to stop “calling and harassing an employee at ESPN.”
Per the report, “a relationship occurred” between Carter and Baumann at that time, leading to Baumann’s divorce. There is no indication that Carter was named in the harassment charge against ESPN.
The most telling fact in this story is ESPN’s statement about settling to avoid the amount of time and litigation costs it would have taken to fight it. Whether or not Baumann felt harassed by Berman at the time, if text messages exist between the two, taking them out of context now—or, heck, probably even in context now—could be more damning for Berman and ESPN than simply writing a check.
Given Berman’s longevity at the company and, to put it nicely, his noted affinity for flirtatious behavior while representing ESPN, it does make one wonder how many times this has happened before. Certainly for the higher ups at ESPN, they hope the news of this settlement doesn’t lead to it happening again and again.
[TBL]
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