Jury Clears WWE in Harassment Suit
Tue Oct 8,10:37 PM ET
By LARRY McSHANE, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - A federal jury cleared World Wrestling Entertainment and one of its executives of sexual harassment Tuesday, rejecting the claims of 6-foot-2, 230-pound ex-wrestler Nicole Bass.
The decision capped a wild three-week trial that included testimony from WWE chairman Vince McMahon, who detailed the world of pro wrestling.
After the verdict, WWE attorney Jerry McDevitt called Bass' case "a bunch of flimsy garbage, just a shakedown. ... She wanted money from a company that she thought would roll over and pay it. She was wrong."
Bass' attorney, Kathleen Tomlinson, was not immediately available for comment, according to a person who answered the phone at her office.
Bass, 38, had alleged that a male wrestler "graphically simulated a sexual act" behind her back; that male WWE employees accosted female wrestlers in locker rooms; and that she was sexually assaulted on an airplane by a WWE executive.
The executive, Steve Lombardi, was cleared of sexual harassment.
McMahon had testified that Bass' "unusual look" — she can bench press 315 pounds — made her a potential WWE superstar. But once Bass stepped inside the ring, McMahon said, she had "two left feet" and quickly washed out.
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