Jury Smacks Down Ex-Wrestler's Suit
By Anthony M. DeStefano
STAFF WRITER
October 9, 2002
A Brooklyn jury threw the sex harassment case of bodybuilder Nicole Bass against World Wrestling Entertainment out of the ring yesterday - essentially dismissing her case as a fabrication.
The blonde, bulky Bass, who weighs about 220 pounds, sat calmly in federal court as eight jurors body-slammed her lawsuit, which alleged she was subjected to numerous sexual and other indignities while she performed for the WWE in 1999, known then as the World Wrestling Federation. Jurors found WWE manager Steve Lombardi had not sexually assaulted her on a flight to London.
Bass, a 6-foot-2 former finalist for the Ms. Olympia bodybuilding title, sued for an unspecified amount of damages.
The nearly month-long trial before U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis became the main attraction in the Brooklyn courthouse as spectators and officials saw a parade of male and female pro wrestling stars take the witness stand. Among those who testified were Lisa Moretti, known by her professional name of "Ivory," and "Triple H," the nom de guerre of wrestler Paul Levesque.
"I want to thank you for a most entertaining experience," Garaufis said as the court cleared. "Hopefully, it is a oncein-a-lifetime experience for the court."
Outside the courtroom, jurors said it was clear from the start of deliberations that Bass didn't have a case. They said they disbelieved her testimony and that of her witnesses and thought money was the sole motive for suing.
"It was like a fabrication," said Jim Singletary, 63, of College Point, adding that the "WWE was right, she had two left feet."
Later, Bass, who said she lost 16 pounds during the trial, said she believed that she was a still a champion for women. Of Lombardi, she said, "He scares me; he got away with it." Bass said she would go on with her life and might prepare for a bodybuilding meet.
But jury foreman Peter Sutich, 39, of Queens, said he thought Bass did a disservice to women by bringing the case. He said he believed Bass' witnesses did not tell the truth and that the nearly five hours of deliberations only took that long because of discussions about whether she had signed a contract waiver.
Pat Philbin, 43, of Suffolk County, said there were just too many discrepancies between Bass' deposition and trial testimony to make her credible.
Juror Cliff Hasey, 44, of Nassau County, appeared to be the only wrestling fan on the jury and said it was tough not being able to ask all the wrestling stars for autographs after they testified. But a smiling Hasey said Lombardi, a former wrestler, autographed his juror pass when the case ended yesterday.
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