Former PointsBet staffer Caroline Weeks has filed a sexual assault lawsuit against the online sports betting company.
Weeks, 25, who worked as a senior player development manager, alleged that a drunken customer repeatedly attempted to touch her and followed her around for nearly an hour until police intervened at a company event held at an Atlantic City casino, according to a lawsuit filed in a Manhattan Federal Court and obtained by the New York Post.
“I broke down that evening,” Weeks told the New York Post. “I felt completely alone in that moment and my privacy was just utterly forgotten about. . . . It was scary, when you’re dealing with intoxicated men who are much bigger than you and older than you. I think people who don’t understand the word ‘no’ are dangerous people.”
Weeks, who was hired by the company in January 2022, claims several clients came on to her at the event, which included making comments that she "got this job because you're hot" and "you're like the new Paige Spiranac," a reference to the popular golfer and social media influencer, according to the lawsuit. One client was reported to have allegedly grabbed her and attempt to kiss her following a business dinner, the lawsuit stated.
Weeks accused the man of obtaining her home address "and sent her a dozen roses, in an unwanted and creepy attempt at a romantic gesture," the lawsuit states. Another alleged incident at a golf course included a client saying, "If I get the ball in the hole, Caroline gives me a b***job," which was reportedly met with a round of laughter.
The 25-year-old claimed that PointsBet didn't attempt to stop the harassment, which led to her quitting her job about 10 months after she was hired, court papers stated.
“I think you’d be a fool to think that I deserved sex harassment based on the images I share on social media,” Weeks said via the New York Post. “It’s not OK — a real man would know that.”
A PointsBet spokesman claimed that the company had "a zero-tolerance policy with regard to harassment and we take these matters very seriously," but declined to provide additional comments when reached by the Post, the newspaper reported.