Ex-employee sues helicopter company
Former assistant to the founder of Torrance-based Robinson Helicopter says she was sexually harassed.
By Ryan McDonald
Staff Writer
The founder of a Torrance-based helicopter company has been accused of sexual harassment by a former employee.
Judith Gentry, a former executive assistant to Robinson Helicopter founder Frank Robinson, filed a suit Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court against both Robinson and his company. In addition to the sexual harassment charges, Gentry also alleges assault, battery, breach of implied contract, and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Gentry claims to have experienced sexual harassment from the beginning of her employment with the helicopter company, where she was hired in December 1997.
The complaint alleges that the harassment was "subtle" at first and that Gentry got used to "laughing off (Robinson's) offensive comments," but that the harassment "became worse over the years."
According to the claim, Robinson told Gentry about problems he was experiencing during a separation from his wife in early 2003. Subsequent complaints in the suit include Robinson making "comments on (Gentry's) figure," and statements made by Robinson assuring Gentry of his virility.
The suit alleges two instances of inappropriate physical contact, one in December 2003 and another in the fall of 2006, both concerning alleged unwanted kissing or grabbing.
Gentry also claims that the company refused to hire her husband after he already had been promised a job as a pilot at Robinson Helicopter by the company's chief
pilot.
Edgardo Garcia, Gentry's Torrance-based attorney, said that there are no plans to request criminal charges in addition to the civil suit.
The lawsuit says Gentry is seeking damages based on both alleged emotional distress and forfeited future wages, arguing Gentry was driven to quit her job at Robinson Helicopter because of persistent harassment.
The complaint requests punitive damages against both Robinson and his company because of the dominant role he plays in its operations.
"Essentially, Mr. Robinson is the company," Garcia said. "He's the highest authority. There was nowhere my client could turn to to obtain some remedy to her situation, other than Frank Robinson."
According to the lawsuit, Gentry filed a formal sexual harassment complaint with the company on Feb. 22 and was told March8 that no action would be taken. She resigned May 4.
Officials at the helicopter manufacturer deny all allegations made in the complaint and said they plan to fight the case in court.
"We have decided to expedite litigation," said Kurt Robinson, vice president for product support for the company and son of Frank Robinson. "We think that the quicker this gets to court, the quicker this gets resolved, and the sooner we'll be vindicated."
Frank Robinson was out of the office and unavailable for comment.
Robinson Helicopter is considered to be the largest civilian helicopter maker in the world, with more than 1,200 employees and revenues exceeding $200 million, according to its Web site.
The company produces the R22 and R44 helicopters, both of which are widely used around the world.
Robinson Helicopter is the fifth-largest private employer in the city of Torrance.
Robinson, 77 and a resident of Rolling Hills, has donated $1million of his personal fortune to establish a scholarship fund at the University of Washington, of which he is an alumnus.
Robinson also has donated $1 million to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and $1 million to the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, Pa.
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