Toyota hit w/ sexual harassment lawsuit
#17
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What i dont get is what does the cereal have to do with sex someone should see if they can find out what that first brand they mentioned was maybe it has something to do with sex if not there is something wrong with the legal system in the US.
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#18
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May 3, 2006 -- Toyota's top U.S. exec got rear- ended yesterday with a shocking $190 million sex- harassment suit that accuses him of groping his personal assistant, wooing her with roses and jewelry and bragging about cheating on his wife.
Sayaka Kobayashi says her bawdy boss, Hideaki "Harry" Otaka, 65 - the North American CEO of the company - repeatedly asked her to intimate lunches, walks in Central Park and on business trips, where he tried to engage in sexual conduct.
She says he once told her he wanted her to be the mother of his children. When he discovered she had wed her boyfriend, he allegedly replied, "If I had known you were getting married, I wouldn't have bothered you."
"He physically grabbed her, groped her body, tried to kiss her," said her lawyer, Christopher Brennan. "If you did that on the street, you'd be arrested."
The explosive suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses Toyota of doing little to probe Kobayashi's complaints beyond a corporate exec telling the 42-year-old woman to confront her boss alone in their New York office, where he allegedly criticized her "for not properly thanking him" for his gifts.
The suit also claims the corporate exec told Kobayashi he didn't want to offend her boss with her allegations - so he told Otaka it was Kobayashi's boyfriend who was complaining about the harassment.
Kobayashi yesterday called her treatment "a personal nightmare, one I hope will never be endured by another employee."
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"I came to work frightened and nervous, having to think how I would respond to his personal comments and solicitations."
Kobayashi, a 10-year Toyota veteran, has been reassigned, but is on medical leave because of a condition she attributes to Otaka's harassment.
A Toyota spokesman, speaking on behalf of the company and Otaka, said he had no comment on the suit, which names as defendants Otaka, Toyota North America and its Japanese parent, Toyota Motor Corp.
In 2004, Otaka became president and CEO of Toyota North America, whose sales account for almost half of Toyota Motor Corp.'s projected $11.5 billion in profits.
Brennan said Toyota tapped Otaka for the North American job despite his widespread reputation as a lothario.
Otaka handpicked Kobayashi, a Queens resident, to be his personal assistant in March 2005, and she said he behaved professionally until September, when he raised eyebrows by hand-delivering two dozen long-stemmed roses to her desk on her birthday.
Later that month, during a Washington, D.C., business trip, Otaka told her to come to his hotel room, where he asked "why a pretty woman like you was never married," the suit said. He then "approached Ms. Kobayashi, forcibly grabbing her body and attempting to engage in sexual contact with her," the suit charges.
After she broke free and told him she wanted only a "professional relationship," Otaka allegedly patted his bed and said, "You can sleep over here tonight if you like."
Sayaka Kobayashi says her bawdy boss, Hideaki "Harry" Otaka, 65 - the North American CEO of the company - repeatedly asked her to intimate lunches, walks in Central Park and on business trips, where he tried to engage in sexual conduct.
She says he once told her he wanted her to be the mother of his children. When he discovered she had wed her boyfriend, he allegedly replied, "If I had known you were getting married, I wouldn't have bothered you."
"He physically grabbed her, groped her body, tried to kiss her," said her lawyer, Christopher Brennan. "If you did that on the street, you'd be arrested."
The explosive suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court, accuses Toyota of doing little to probe Kobayashi's complaints beyond a corporate exec telling the 42-year-old woman to confront her boss alone in their New York office, where he allegedly criticized her "for not properly thanking him" for his gifts.
The suit also claims the corporate exec told Kobayashi he didn't want to offend her boss with her allegations - so he told Otaka it was Kobayashi's boyfriend who was complaining about the harassment.
Kobayashi yesterday called her treatment "a personal nightmare, one I hope will never be endured by another employee."
Click to learn more...
"I came to work frightened and nervous, having to think how I would respond to his personal comments and solicitations."
Kobayashi, a 10-year Toyota veteran, has been reassigned, but is on medical leave because of a condition she attributes to Otaka's harassment.
A Toyota spokesman, speaking on behalf of the company and Otaka, said he had no comment on the suit, which names as defendants Otaka, Toyota North America and its Japanese parent, Toyota Motor Corp.
In 2004, Otaka became president and CEO of Toyota North America, whose sales account for almost half of Toyota Motor Corp.'s projected $11.5 billion in profits.
Brennan said Toyota tapped Otaka for the North American job despite his widespread reputation as a lothario.
Otaka handpicked Kobayashi, a Queens resident, to be his personal assistant in March 2005, and she said he behaved professionally until September, when he raised eyebrows by hand-delivering two dozen long-stemmed roses to her desk on her birthday.
Later that month, during a Washington, D.C., business trip, Otaka told her to come to his hotel room, where he asked "why a pretty woman like you was never married," the suit said. He then "approached Ms. Kobayashi, forcibly grabbing her body and attempting to engage in sexual contact with her," the suit charges.
After she broke free and told him she wanted only a "professional relationship," Otaka allegedly patted his bed and said, "You can sleep over here tonight if you like."
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#19
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^looks better than a number of Japanese Models used in motorsports.
but suing for a total of $190 million? I suffered permanent injuries from an accident when this old lady hit me, their insurance company (which ironically is the same as mine
) won't even pay me to cover my medical expenses.
Anyways, she is stupid and possibly even exaggerrating. Emotional distress...LOL.
but suing for a total of $190 million? I suffered permanent injuries from an accident when this old lady hit me, their insurance company (which ironically is the same as mine
![Uhh...](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/1387914497.gif)
Anyways, she is stupid and possibly even exaggerrating. Emotional distress...LOL.
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#20
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Originally Posted by LexArazzo
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
[B]
Otaka has been with Toyota since 1965. Kobayashi was hired in 1997 by the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor and transferred to the company's corporate planning office in New York in
[B]
Otaka has been with Toyota since 1965. Kobayashi was hired in 1997 by the Toyota Technical Center in Ann Arbor and transferred to the company's corporate planning office in New York in
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#21
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Originally Posted by Xotic sC
^looks better than a number of Japanese Models used in motorsports.
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IF what she says in the lawsuit is true, though, Toyota management needs to be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen in the 21st century. Perhaps Japanese men especially the older generation folks are still too used to their women being obedient and submissive. Not anymore lol.
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#23
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Originally Posted by VVT-i
The guy has been with Toyota for over 40 years and now he is 65 years old and got sue for sexual harrasment.
I say she sleeps with the fishes....
#24
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I cant believe this happened. Well if its true we dont know yet but it is possible she is nice looking and with a little makeup and a new hairdo she would be pretty attractive.
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#25
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Originally Posted by XeroK00L
IF what she says in the lawsuit is true, though, Toyota management needs to be ashamed of themselves for allowing this to happen in the 21st century. Perhaps Japanese men especially the older generation folks are still too used to their women being obedient and submissive. Not anymore lol. ![Egads!](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/pat.gif)
![Egads!](https://www.clublexus.com/forums/images/smilies/pat.gif)
That's the key......IF her story is true.
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#26
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Originally Posted by mmarshall
That's the key......IF her story is true.
Though, of course, it is not easy to read minds, I wouldn't bet the monthly rent on it. There is a difference ( as you put it ) between women being " not obedient or submissive " any more and making up false stories just to try and win some easy money from gullible juries. A jury member who has any intelligence at all will not just fall for someone's story or a smooth-talking lawyer without some tangible proof of those charges. If the proof is not there, then the case should never get to court or the complaint filed in the first place.
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The other thing is that as a juror, I wouldn't want to see this woman win a bonanza. If she indeed was wronged, the word million(s) would never be in the damages.
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