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idasessions · 6 years

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Famous Muses & Groupies in Rock Music Pt. 38

MUSE: Phyllis Nesmith (born Phyllis Anne Barbour)

Back by popular minor demand, I am reviving this series! So sit back and enjoy some more chaotic classic rock gossip. Phyllis was born on July 30th, 1946 in Long Island City, NY and spent most of her upbringing on US military bases in Europe where her dad was an educator. In her private life, Phyllis practiced Christian Science, as did her first husband Michael Nesmith—whom she met while they were both attending San Antonio College of Texas in March 1963, when Phyllis was 16 and Mike was 20. A year later they married on June 27th, 1964 when Phyllis discovered she was pregnant. Their first son Christian was born on January 31st, 1965 about a year after the couple moved to Los Angeles, CA to expand Mike’s aspirations of a music career. Only 10 months later Mike was cast on the show-turned-real band “The Monkees” (1966-68) where he was both an actor and musician on the affiliated records. When the show/band first got famous, Mike was known as the ‘married Monkee’ because he was originally the only bandmate with a wife and child. Like most pop/rock couples in the 1960s, Mike and Phyllis were regularly photographed and profiled in teeny bopper magazines as a cute celeb couple. She also sang back-up on the track ‘Auntie’s Municipal Court’ from the 1968 LP ‘The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees;’ attended both the taping of the (godawful) TV special 33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee (1969) and the movie premiere of Head (1968); and traveled with the band for the parts of their 1967 US/UK tour.

Because of the Monkees’ TV shoots, tours and recording sessions, Phyllis spent a lot of time at her and Mike’s Hollywood Hills home raising Christian on her own as a housewife. If you’re starting to get déjà vu and feel like this sounds familiar, it’s because this is basically the Texan version of the John & Cynthia Lennon story. College sweethearts, unplanned pregnancy, shotgun wedding, both Cynthia and Phyllis became blondes as rock wives, family life at the helm of Beatlemania/Monkeemania, etc. And as we all know, John and Mike were friends for 15 minutes in 1967 while the Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s’ and the Monkees’ ‘Headquarters’ were being composed. Mike and Phyllis even spent a week staying at the Lennons’ estate when they visited London for the first time. In Cynthia’s 2005 memoir John, she complains about how Phyllis would give passive-aggressive suggestions on her cooking (lol). Mike was famously at the epic recording/filming of the ‘Sgt. Pepper’ track ‘A Day in the Life,’ with Phyllis tagging along on the side with fellow rock SOs Cynthia, Pattie Boyd and Marianne Faithfull.

Just like John, Mike was the smart-ass of his band with a dry sense of humor and also shamelessly cheating on his wife. But he took it an extra step by knocking up another woman while married. In 1967, Mike and Czech-Israeli groupie photographer/band friend Nurit Wilde had a sporadic affair for the next couple of years. But about the time they met, Phyllis became pregnant with their second son. So on February 4th, 1968, Mike & Phyllis’ son Jonathan was born, and only seven months later, Mike & Nurit’s son Jason was born on August 7th, 1968. Oh, and this was all the same year Phyllis experienced a near-fatal car crash….what the FUCK. Mike’s lucky his public image wasn’t completely tarnished like what happened to Billy Crudup in 2004. Then again, I don’t think most people outside of the band’s circle even knew about Jason’s existence until the 1980s. But…still….jrhrgnfdgf. Mike ended up choosing Phyllis in the end (and ultimately becoming a deadbeat dad to Jason until he was 5 years old). They even had a third child, daughter Jessica, on September 10th, 1970. Things officially came to an end in 1972 when Mike and Phyllis separated and finally divorced in March 1975. The final straw was, you guessed it! More cheating. This time with Mike’s future second wife Kathryn Bild (what a gd mess). Miraculously, Mike now has great relationships with all of his kids (including Jason), making him the luckiest SOB alive. In his 2017 memoir Infinite Tuesday, he blames himself for all of the messed up drama he caused. His song ‘Nine Times Blue’ is supposedly for Phyllis.

But now back to the lady of topic. After experiencing one of the worst marriages of all time, Phyllis went into politics in the late 1970s, and became a professional aide to senators like John Tunney and Alan Cranston. By 1990, she switched over to business and ran her own communications company with Winner & Associates. Showing she’s super awesome and too good for Mike, lbr. [Still love you, boo.] Ironically, Mike’s mom was also a very successful businesswoman. Phyllis also married again in the late ‘80s to a man named Bill Gibson until her premature death in 2010 at age 63 of ALS. (Five years before Cynthia would die of her own serious health issues too.) She’s survived by Christian, Jonathan and Jessica. What’s weird/interesting is that none of Mike & Phyllis’ kids have children of their own (kind of like how both of John’s kids are childless too.) I wasn’t planning on making so many Lennon-Nesmith comparisons with this entry, but the parallels are like…strikingly similar.

Fun fact: Christian used to ‘play’ Jimmy Page in the famous Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Zepagain. The son of my fave Monkee cosplaying as my fave LZ member, wowowowie.

#phyllis nesmith #phyllis barbour #michael nesmith #mike nesmith #muses #i have the WORST taste in men istg kjfdhggfn #this shit's going to effect my personal life eventually #ok next up pamela or maybe sam #or maybe a movie muse/gf #musesandgroupiesseries #John Lennon #Cynthia Lennon

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melissamontoyaphotography · 6 years

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MATERNITY photos: Paramount Ranch, Los Angeles, CA

Living in Southern California you get so many opportunities to photograph clients in interesting locations. Today I will be sharing maternity photos: Paramount Ranch, Los Angeles, CA. Lights, camera, action! This place was used for movies!! So LA of us 🙂

This was their first pregnancy! So it was important for them to document it. I thank them for the location suggestion! We tried to use as much nature around us as possible and get that golden glow light!

Sometimes people get the jitters and that’s ok. It can be scary to be in front of the camera. So I always try to just converse and put them at ease so they feel like we are just hanging out and I just happen to push a button from time to time. That’s when you get their real personalities and those natural laughs and smiles 😉 This is my chance at open mic night 😉

So Paramount Ranch has as I mentioned lots of nature. People come to do hikes and I think you can horseback as well! I remember seeing a stable in front of the parking area. There are a lot of meadows and hills so it makes you feel like you are in Montana and not Malibu! Just make sure you get the timing on lighting correct, because the sun will hide behind the hills earlier than said sunset time 😉

Have I mentioned I love trees? Love them! Love using light through them! Since she was pregnant I didn’t have her sit on them, although if I remember correctly I think we might have tried. But as always, SAFETY FIRST!

Once they were all warmed up in front of the camera they shared with me how excited they are about having their first child together! A baby boy! So the hubs was very excited to have his mini me!

MATERNITY photos: Paramount Ranch, Los Angeles, CA MATERNITY photos: Paramount Ranch, Los Angeles, CA Living in Southern California you get so many opportunities to photograph clients in interesting locations.

#Los Angeles #losangelesphotographer #malibu #Maternity #maternityphotos #paramount ranch #sandiegomaternityphotographer #sandiegophotographer

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livinginlandmarketing · 4 years

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Infection rates. Drive-thru testing centers. Hospitalizations, ventilators and intensive-care units. It’s a very different sort of holiday season for Southern California.

Welcome to the pandemic Thanksgiving. This is the year our leaders asked us not to travel, dine away from home or gather in big groups — essentially, Thanksgiving’s tentpoles. So for many, that seat at the table for a beloved mom, a treasured uncle, a lifelong friend, a revered grandma … is empty this year.

The months-long coronavirus outbreak is surging anew, taking dozens more lives every day from San Bernardino to Pacoima to Pasadena, from Riverside to Orange County to the South Bay.

And still…

“We don’t have a lot of extra stuff, but I can’t think of anything we really need. I have so much to be grateful for.”

That’s the voice of Tanya Doby, 41, a business owner and the first Black city council member in Los Alamitos.

Amid the tragedy and the turbulence, Doby is deeply grateful.

She’s not alone.

She’s one of many folks we spoke to who reminded us that even amid a year steeped in disrupted traditions and heartbreaking headlines, there is still reason for gratitude. And hope.

“On Monday, I drove by a food bank in Anaheim with a long line of cars,” she said. “It occurred to me, I don’t have to be in one of those lines. I have food and clean water. My children are healthy, my husband is well.”

Los Alamitos City Councilwoman Tanya Doby poses for a photo at Laurel Park in Los Alamitos on Wednesday, August 26, 2020..(Photo by Kyusung Gong/Contributing Photographer)

Amen to that.

Others will mark the day having lost much this year, and yet, still are finding fortitude to push through. And many found ways to help those who weren’t so fortunate.

Twelve days in May

Julian Ramirez, 63, stares out at his yard. He and wife, Saramaria, planted and nurtured that mango tree.

It’s a symbol of a robust life the El Salvadorian L.A. couple lived. He proudly holds up a picture of Saramaria. Wide smile, lots of teeth. Lots of love.

Julian Ramirez shares a picture of him and his wife Saramaria in his Arleta home on Friday, November 20, 2020. Saramaria, 36, died of COVID-19 after catching the virus at the convalescent home where she worked as a nurse said Ramirez. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The two met in El Salvador in the 2000s, but by then Julian, much her elder, had already long been settled in Arleta. So he helped her get a visa to come to the U.S. She arrived in 2005, and they would soon marry. They had a son, also named Julian. He’s 10.

It wouldn’t be long before Saramaria would earn her nursing degree, studying at L.A. Mission and L.A. Valley colleges in the San Fernando Valley, Julian said, adding it was the culmination of a life devoted to helping people.

Then, devastating news in 2018: Cancer.

“When we heard that.. believe me, everything just fell apart,” Ramirez said. “Not economically.. but in spirit everything just fell apart. We knew that it was an uphill fight.”

Julian Ramirez thinks of his wife at the mango tree he surprised her with in the garden she nurtured at their Arleta home on Friday, November 20, 2020. Saramaria, 36, died of COVID-19 after catching the virus at the convalescent home where she worked as a nurse said Ramirez. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

She battled hard. She continued her work as a nurse, still wanting to help people. Who was Ramirez to stop her from her mission, he asked.

But by May 2020, the pain in her back grew too severe. She’d see doctor, who ultimately diagnosed her with the coronavirus.

Saramaria, 36, never came back home — back to “la casita.”

In 12 days she was gone, leaving lasting memories of Facetime connections with a mom, a sister, a wife, a son and a husband she could not see in person.

Ten-year-old Julian Amani Ramirez holds a picture of his mother Saramaria and her wedding rings with his father Julian in their Arleta home on Friday, November 20, 2020. Saramaria, 36, died of COVID-19 after catching the virus at the convalescent home where she worked as a nurse said Ramirez. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Much of her family — Julian’s father-in-law, mother-in-law, his brother-in-law, lives with Julian now — as they raise his 10-year-old together.

As Thanksgiving arrives, the memories of the year are still raw. But he said he finds strength to be thankful that his family has health and offers thanks to a country that has enabled him to have a life to provide for a family.

He continued his gaze at the mango tree, with a few tears, and the flowers the couple planted around it.

“Everything reminds me of her,” he said, remembering the best of times.

“Many times, I felt like I am feeling like the happiest man in the whole world, from my head to my toes,” he added.

“I breathed it in.”

‘A harder Thanksgiving’

Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia will hunker down on the holiday, at home with his husband.

“…Just the two of us,” he said.

Mayor Robert Garcia (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

But it will be unlike any previous holiday for the 42-year-old mayor, now in his second term.

Garcia’s mother and father-in-law died from COVID-19.

Greg and Gabriella O’Donnell Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia’s stepfather, Greg O’Donnell died from coronavirus complications — two weeks after the mayor’s mother passed away. (Courtesy of Mayor Robert Garcia)

The mayor’s mother, Gabriella O’Donnell, who immigrated with Garcia from Peru when he was 5 years old, died July 26. She was 61 years old. Then, Greg O’Donnell, 58, her husband, died on Sunday, Aug. 9, one day after Gabriella’s memorial service.

The death of the Whittier couple came at at time when Garcia himself was — and still is — working around the clock to lead the city of more than 460,000 people through the pandemic.

As Thanksgiving arrives, he’s got both things on his mind.

Mayor Robert Garcia outside city hall in Long Beach, CA, on Thursday, Sept., 10, 2020. Garcia lost his mother and stepfather to COVID-19.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

“This is going to be a harder Thanksgiving for me, and quite frankly a lot of families across the country, who will be experiencing their first Thanksgiving, or their first Christmas, without members of their family — and for me, for my mom and my step dad,” he said this Monday. “I am still thankful that I have other members of my family who are healthy and alive.”

He hoped everyone would just try to stay safe, stay home this year for the holiday, as the surge threatens to put more stress on the region’s hospitals.

“I’m still thankful for all the blessings we still have in our life, and hopeful that there is light at the end of the tunnel,.” he said. “If we can just continue to sacrifice and keep each other safe, early next year in January we are going to start seeing people getting access to the vaccine… .”

‘Courageous dialogue’

The pandemic and the protests against racial injustice have exposed not just racial inequities, but also the fact that the country has a long way to go when it comes to battling systemic racism, said Pastor Samuel Casey, senior pastor of New Life Christian Church in Fontana and executive director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement.

Rev. Sam Casey, Executive Director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement, at his home in Fontana on Tuesday, July 14, 2020. (Photo by Watchara Phomicinda, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

“I’m thankful that even though we have some rough seasons this year, things are getting better, and we had the opportunity to fight for justice in new ways,” he said. “Through Black people and other people of color, it has been brought to national and global attention that America still has work to do.”

This has also been a year of reconciliation, which despite widespread division and polarization, has been taking place in pockets in communities across the country, Casey said.

“It has opened up courageous dialogue,” he said. “Proximity does breed empathy. And this year has really brought us together whether we wanted to be together or not.”

A new life

It was Sept. 9, and the time had come. After months in and out of the hospital, Janet Udomratsak was ready to give birth.

It had been a rocky road.

Janet Udomratsak with her family, James, 2 months, husband, Chris and Henry, 5 in Sylmar, CA November 25, 2020. James was born in September after a harrowing pregnancy that included complications. The family will celebrate Thanksgiving her parents and siblings who are in thier “bubble” with time. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Pregnancy complications landed her in the hospital throughout the year. Not only was her pregnancy at risk, but so was the beginning of the school year for a Sylmar woman who’s been in the business of teaching for 11 years.

Up until three days before the delivery date, during a 10-week stay, she was teaching her elementary-schoolers from the confines of her hospital room at Providence Holy Cross in Mission Hills.

But things got extra complicated at birth. Bleeding in her uterus during the planned caesarean section turned an expected 30-minute delivery into an hours-long surgery that involved tense moments, concern, multiple blood transfusions and the ultimate removal of her uterus.

Even for Udomratsak — long braced for the unexpected after such a difficult year — the tension was clear as the pre-delivery banter and anticipation turned to serious silence.

She was forced to make a life-changing decision in the matter of moments. But what mattered most was making sure the her baby was born.

Janet Udomratsak with James, 2 months. James was born in September after a harrowing pregnancy that included complications. The family will celebrate Thanksgiving her parents and siblings who are in thier “bubble” with time. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Meet James — all 3 pounds, 11 ounces and 16 inches of him at birth.

“When he came out, I was in shock,” she said. “I was like wow, he’s here. He came out, kicking and crying when he came out. The whole room was in tears. They knew the struggle. They were with me from day 1.”

This Thanksgiving, the family will be together — little James, mom, dad Chris, and Henry, 5, who loves bringing toys to show his little brother.

“Knowing it could have been worse, it makes me that much more thankful, I am more aware of everything now. I want to enjoy my time with everybody,” she said.

“And, with that, I also want to take care of myself so I can be around for everyone.”

Staff writers Deepa Bharath, Susan Goulding, Martin Wisckol and Steve Scauzillo contributed to this story.

Picture of US economy is worrisome as virus inflicts damage

San Bernardino County offers Thanksgiving guidelines amid coronavirus times

Coronavirus cleaning: Is wiping down groceries still a thing?

Joe Biden to deliver a Thanksgiving address seeking US unity

Bummed out by coronavirus, Inland residents shine Christmas lights early

-on November 25, 2020 at 05:00AM by Ryan Carter

#riversidenews

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heatherhartphoto · 4 years

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Getting excited for the warm summer nights! Summer Malibu style Los Angeles Maternity and Family Photographer styling: @alamodephoto photo: @alamodephoto #losangelesmaternity #maternityphotography #pregnancy photoshoot #losangelesmaternity #southercaliforniamaternityphotography #southercaliforniamaternityphotographer #ocmaternityphotographer #photographer #southerncaliforniaphotographer #santamonica ‪#malibumaternityphotography (at Newport Dunes, Newport Beach Ca) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCjBk9wAbWW/?igshid=mkgj0f2yzc97

#losangelesmaternity #maternityphotography #pregnancy #southercaliforniamaternityphotography #southercaliforniamaternityphotographer #ocmaternityphotographer #photographer #southerncaliforniaphotographer #santamonica #malibumaternityphotography

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worldtopnewsoftheday · 7 years

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Adrienne Lawrence's Claims Underline Alleged Culture of Sexual Harassment, Misconduct at ESPN

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By MICHAEL MCCANN AND RICHARD DEITSCH

December 15, 2017

An investigative report by The Boston Globe’s Jenn Abelson on allegations of mistreatment of female ESPN employees suggests that the network could face significant legal consequences. Abelson’s report depicts ESPN as a hostile work environment for women, some of whom feel they have been targeted for unwelcomed sexual advances and others of whom believe they have encountered pregnancy discrimination.

Along those lines, Abelson describes accounts of women hiding pregnancies from bosses and co-workers. They do so out of fear of the impact of being pregnant on their continued employment. These concerns have only amplified as ESPN downsizes in response to cord cutting and other market shifts that disrupt the “worldwide leader in sports.”

ADRIENNE LAWRENCE’S COMPLAINT AND POTENTIAL LAWSUIT—AND ESPN’S POSSIBLE DEFENSES

Abelson’s report names one former ESPN on-air talent who recounts suffering blatant sexism and who has since taken legal action. Adrienne Lawrence, who is an attorney, filed a discrimination complaint with the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities this past summer. Lawrence charges that her male colleagues “marked” her and other female employees for unwanted sexual advances. Lawrence claims that ESPN anchor John Buccigross texted shirtless photographs of himself. He also sent her flirtatious messages, such as “Thank you, dollface. You’re wonderful” and “#dreamgirl.” Lawrence, who is now a Madden 18 sideline reporter, further contends that ESPN retaliated against her for speaking up. The network gradually reduced her airtime and later denied her a permanent job.

The fact that Lawrence filed a complaint means that she swore under oath as to her claims against ESPN. This is an important distinction from a person who only raises assertions during a media interview. A person who swears under oath does under penalty of perjury. If he or she knowingly lies, they can be charged with the felony crime of perjury. A sworn statement by no means guarantees the veracity of the allegations—a complainant often recalls the past in an unintentionally distortive or inaccurate way; perjury is also a difficult crime to prosecute since the prosecutor must prove that a defendant knowingly lied. Nonetheless, such a statement lends some degree of credibility to the complainant’s assertions. A person who speaks with a journalist, in contrast, does so without risk of perjury and thus may be more inclined to exaggerate or even lie.

Under Connecticut law, ESPN had 30 days to respond to Lawrence’s claims or risk a default judgment. In the months that followed Lawrence’s filing, the Commission was expected to perform a case assessment review. The review evaluates the basic merits of a complaint and its factual contentions. If a complaint passes this hurdle, the Commission then attempts to settle the matter. To that end, the commission uses a neutral mediator who tries to bridge differences between the two sides. A mediator typically attempts to resolve the complaint by suggesting that the respondent (in this case ESPN) offer some sort of compensation, such as back pay, to the complainant.

TECH & MEDIA

Breaking Down the Disturbing Details, Implications of NFL Network Sexual Harassment Claims

No resolution was reached in Lawrence’s complaint, as it was dismissed at her request earlier this month. The dismissal enables Lawrence to file a lawsuit in federal court. If Lawrence sues, she would likely include claims for sexual harassment, hostile workplace and defamation. To prevail in those claims, Lawrence would likely argue that ESPN management knew or should have known about conduct that created a hostile environment for her and other women. She might also contend that ESPN executives badmouthed her and have made it more difficult for her to land comparable employment with another network.

Lawrence would use her own experience and other available evidence to portray a pattern of misconduct. She alludes to this strategy in a tweet on Friday on Friday in which she claims that ESPN “knows” her allegations consist of far more than “text messages and photos.”

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Adrienne Lawrence

✔@AdrienneLaw

Regarding the @BostonGlobe report:

8:42 PM - Dec 15, 2017 · Los Angeles, CA

164164 Replies

187187 Retweets

317317 likes

Twitter Ads info and privacy

Lawrence would then assert that ESPN had a duty to take reasonable steps to eliminate such pervasive hostility. These steps would likely include firing, suspending or re-training male employees who engaged in wrongful conduct. If ESPN failed to take such corrective steps, Lawrence’s argument would be strengthened. Lawrence would also describe her departure from the network as a reflection not of merit or performance but rather of not acquiescing to the company’s misogynistic culture.

Along those lines, Lawrence could be armed with a dossier of material that suggests ESPN not only tolerates a culture of sexual misconduct but perhaps also encourages it. The 2011 book Those Guys Have All the Fun is a window into this world. Authored by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller, the book depicts ESPN as a place where sexual harassment, extramarital affairs and a “frat boy” culture was rampant for years. In 2001 Mike Freemen, now of Bleacher Report, authored ESPN: The Uncensored History, which, among other points, describes sexual harassment complaints at ESPN and their accompanying litigation. Although both books are slightly dated, they could prove valuable for an attorney seeking to identify potential witnesses for a sexual harassment lawsuit.

ESPN aggressively responded to The Boston Globe story with multiple statements via its PR department. “We work hard to maintain a respectful and inclusive culture at ESPN,” said a spokesperson. “It is always a work in progress, but we’re proud of the significant progress we’ve made in developing and placing women in key roles at the company in the board room, in leadership positions throughout ESPN and on air.”

The company’s public relations staff alerted this column on Thursday evening to a public relations website that had portions of text messages exchanged between Lawrence and Buccigross. An ESPN spokesperson declared that “it’s clear that they had a consensual, personal friendship that spanned months.”

On Thursday night, SI.com learned that an ESPN human resources official posted on the company’s internal website about the Globe story.

“This afternoon a story broke in The Boston Globe that raises questions concerning the culture at ESPN and how we have handled difficult situations, specifically those involving alleged harassment and discrimination,” the post read. “You should know that we cooperated with the Globe to address their questions, and provide a fuller accounting of events. This process included revisiting and reviewing the investigations surrounding each of the incidents referenced; and vigorously defending the steps we took, the outcomes of those investigations and our culture. Unfortunately the Globe chose to ignore our responses and instead pursue a clear agenda against the company. Their “investigation” lacks important and relevant context. Maintaining a respectful and inclusive culture is paramount at ESPN. As outlined in John Skipper’s recent message, we have many resources in place for employees to report complaints and concerns. We encourage you to utilize those resources to address issues as they arise.”

Said Lawrence, in her tweet on Friday morning: “As for ESPN’s recent behavior, its decision to (i) single me out, (ii) ignore my key allegations, which ESPN knows are far broader than text messages and photos, and then (iii) release select, self-serving text messages, only further evidences the culture of this network and the lengths it will go and the unethical means it will employ to try to silence woman.”

In fairness to ESPN, the network might offer a very different account of Lawrence’s experience at ESPN and more broadly the culture of the ESPN workplace. ESPN might contend that Lawrence has exaggerated the problems she experienced. It might also share performance evaluations of Lawrence and others competing for the same permanent job and use them to explain why the job went to someone else. As to unflattering books and articles about ESPN, the network would stress that such materials sometimes exaggerate and distort in order to increase sales. Also, comments made to journalists and authors are not under oath and thus should be taken with a grain of salt.

Further, ESPN would likely contend that it has severely sanctioned employees who are accused of sexual harassment. For instance, earlier this week ESPN suspended Eric Davis and Donovan McNabb from their radio shows amid allegations they and others employed by the NFL Network sexually harassed a former colleague, Jami Cantor. ESPN likely also would point to workplace discrimination policies and stress that management aggressively enforces them.

In any lawsuit, electronic evidence would be crucial. Personal texts between Lawrence and Buccigross were released by ESPN, as noted above. Other personal texts, along with friendly or flirtatious emails and social media direct messages sent while under the false assumption of privacy, would likely surface as well through the pretrial discovery process. Prominent figures at ESPN may also be required to testify under oath about sensitive topics. Many careers could be forever tarnished, regardless of the outcome of litigation.

OTHERS WHO COULD SUE ESPN AND HOW ESPN MIGHT RESPOND

Lawrence’s experience does not appear to be unique among women recently employed by ESPN. To that end, Abelson’s article details the experiences of former SportsCenter anchor Sara Walsh and former ESPN employment applicant JennSterger. The account of Walsh—and how her pregnancy impacted her employment in 2014—is especially disturbing. According to Abelson, Walsh’s boss, SportsCentervice president Mike McQuade, questioned Walsh’s commitment to her responsibilities to SportsCenter since Walsh also appeared on The Fantasy Show. In order to prove her commitment to SportsCenter, Walsh reportedly performed her scheduled broadcast at the same time she began to bleed from a miscarriage. She did so while on assignment in Alabama and sick from pregnancy complications. Walsh felt that calling in sick could have cost her a coveted job on SportsCenter.

My mother bought them these onesies because she thought they were funny. For us, they're especially poignant. Finding a good egg didn't come easy for me, and I suspect there are many people out there facing the same struggle. The road down a dark path began while hosting Sportscenter on the road from Alabama. I arrived in Tuscaloosa almost three months pregnant. I wouldn't return the same way. The juxtaposition of college kids going nuts behind our set, while I was losing a baby on it, was surreal. I was scared, nobody knew I was pregnant, so I did the show while having a miscarriage. On television. My husband had to watch this unfold from more than a thousand miles away, texting me hospital options during commercial breaks. It would get worse. Two more failed pregnancies. More than once, I'd have surgery one day and be on SportsCenter the next so as not to draw attention to my situation. We then went down the IVF road of endless shots and procedures. After several rounds, we could only salvage two eggs. I refused to even use them for a long time, because I couldn't bear the idea of all hope being gone. I blew off pregnancy tests, scared to know if it worked. It had. Times two. It was exciting news, but we knew better than to celebrate. So I spent a third straight football season pregnant, strategically picking out clothes and standing at certain angles, using scripts to hide my stomach. There would be no baby announcement, no shower, we didn't buy a single thing in preparation for the babies, because I wasn't sure they'd show up. We told very few people we were pregnant, and almost no one there were two. For those that thought I was weirdly quiet about my pregnancy, now you know why. For as long as I can remember I hosted Sportscenter on Mother's Day, and the last couple years doing that have been personally brutal. An hours-long reminder of everything that had gone wrong. I wasn't on tv today, and I'm not sure when I will be again, but instead I got to hang with these two good eggs. My ONLY good eggs. And I know how lucky I really am. #twins #ivf #2goodeggs

A post shared by Sara Walsh (@sarawalsh10) on May 14, 2017 at 5:57pm PDT

This horrific experience led Walsh to complain internally at the company. She was angered that McQuade allegedly failed to respond to her email while she received hospital treatment for her miscarriage. Walsh complained about McQuade’s conduct to human resources, but ESPN apparently did not take action. Instead, Abelson asserts, ESPN appears to have retaliated against Walsh by reducing her on-air appearances and, this past May, laying her off.

Walsh could consider a lawsuit under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. The Act is a federal law that prohibits employers from unfavorably treating employees on account of their pregnancy or childbirth. Plaintiffs who successfully using this law can receive compensatory damages for the harm they suffered as well as punitive damages that reflect a just punishment for the company.

In response to such a lawsuit, ESPN would likely argue that it never discriminated against Walsh—it didn’t take her off the air or require her to change her job. ESPN would also contend that Walsh is ultimately responsible for her choice to not call in sick. The company might further stress that it has treated other pregnant employees in accordance with the law and basic decency. In addition, ESPN might insist that the pressure Walsh felt is one that all broadcasters and journalists feel, particularly in an era of downsizing. Most importantly, such job pressure is not a legal harm but rather comes with the territory in any ultra competitive industry like broadcasting and journalism.

In May, SI.com reported, according to multiple ESPN staffers, that Walsh flew from Florida to Connecticut with her three month-old twins under the working presumption that because she was scheduled to work that week, she’d be fine from layoffs. But the morning after she landed in Connecticut with her twins, the anchor learned she was part of ESPN’s layoffs. She made public via Instagram that she had been laid off following her maternity leave. That incident stung many ESPN staffers; Walsh was popular among her colleagues.

As to Sterger, once a columnist for this website, she says that she was sexually harassed while auditioning for ESPN back in 2006 and 2008. Male employees who played some role in whether ESPN would hire Sterger placed her in completely inappropriate situations, such as taking her to a strip club. In a post she wrote on Twitter in October, Sterger said part of her interview process included a strip club outing with Matthew Berry, who was interviewing as a contributor for The Fantasy Show, in Charlotte in 2006, and being brought up to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., in 2008 for what she described as a bogus interview. In an interview with SI.com in October, Will Carroll, a sportswriter specializing in the coverage of medical issues who has worked for ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and other publications, confirmed he was in Charlotte at the strip club outing in 2006. He said he was brought to Charlotte to talk to ESPN talent coordinators and that Sterger was also trying out for shows during the Charlotte trip. Carroll eventually became an on-air member of The Fantasy Show, a short-lived ESPN program that ran for 11 episodes in 2006. He said that Sterger told him that ESPN managers admonished her for going to a strip club the next day and that she believed it impacted her chances on that show.

Given the passage of time and the relevant statutes of limitation, it’s unlikely that incidents taking place in the 2000s could give rise to a winnable legal claim in 2017. However, as a more general point, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects job applicants from pre-employment discrimination on the basis of sex, among other protected categories. It is a law that all employers ought to consider when interviewing candidates.

ESPN declined making a senior management executive available to SI.com on the contents of The Boston Globe story. A ESPN spokesperson said that “our investigation is ongoing” regarding Berry. An ESPN spokeperson also said that Buccigross and McQuade both continue in their current roles.

Michael McCann is SI’s legal analyst. He is also an attorney and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the University of New Hampshire School of Law, and co-author with Ed O'Bannon of the forthcoming book Court Justice: The Inside Story of My Battle Against the NCAA.