The CEO of Home Marketing Services, Bob Lovell, is currently feeling the heat following a sexual assault suit filed against him by a female of the Dallas-based company.
According to a report by The Dallas Morning News, the complaint was filed in Dallas County court on Wednesday. The complainant, identified only as Jane Doe, alleges that Lovell required her to perform sexual acts on him in the workplace.
The complainant also alleged that Lovell, famous for his Bless your Heart commercials, leveraged her employment and retaliated against her family when she refused his demand.
The woman claimed that Lovell used coded phrases like, “My zipper is tight” and “I need help with my zipper,” when he wanted sexual favors.
According to the complaint, the woman eventually gave in to Lovell’s sexual demands because she feared she would lose her job and not be able to provide for her 13-year-old daughter and 72-year-old mother.
The woman said Lovell groomed her for two years, but on October 28, when Lowell asked the woman for oral sex in his office, she refused. Consequently, Lovell allegedly retaliated by canceling her daughter’s health insurance coverage through the company within minutes of her refusal.
The plaintiff’s complaint includes an attached proof of lost coverage document from HMS’s health care provider with a coverage period that ended October 30.
The woman also claimed that other employees in the company say they have had similar concerns about Lovell’s advances. She alleges that one female employee said Lowell repeatedly asked her to show her breasts.
The plaintiff also filed another charge with the Texas Workforce Commission’s Civil Rights Division in November, claiming that HMS violated the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act.
“Lovell’s public persona in his ‘Bless your Heart’ commercials portray him as a kind, gentle, caring grandfather. The truth is he is nothing but a dirty old man who preys on young, female employees,” the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, the woman is seeking more than $1 million in damages. Lovell’s attorney told The Dallas Morning News that his client could not comment on the lawsuit because he hasn’t reviewed it.
