NHL and Anaheim Ducks Sued for Workplace Harassment
A former employee has filed a lawsuit against the NHL and the Anaheim Ducks, alleging sexual harassment, intimidation, and discrimination during her time working between 2022 and 2025. The plaintiff, Rose Harris, was hired as an IT coordinator in July 2022 by OC Sports and Entertainment, owner of the Ducks, its AHL affiliate in San Diego, and the Honda Center Arena. Harris claims to have suffered “repeated and uncontrolled harassment and bullying,” including “sexualized physical contact without consent, vulgar, sexist, and disparaging comments almost constantly, including homophobic slurs.” In the lawsuit, Harris mentions Nick Aguilera, a former member of OCSE’s public relations team, as being responsible for unwanted physical contact and inappropriate jokes. She also claims that Aguilera informed other public relations staff members that he and Harris were having a sexual relationship, which led to derogatory comments towards her. In addition, Harris alleges that the Ducks’ equipment managers harassed her with offensive comments, and one of them allegedly commented to other employees that he had a sexual relationship with Harris.Subsequently, Harris accepted a position in the IT department of the NHL’s main office in New York, starting in January 2025. Harris also alleges that OCSE conspired to have her fired from the league. She claims that once it became known that she had begun working for the NHL’s head office, someone from her former employer informed Patrice Distler, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of the NHL, that Harris was a “sexual harassment victim and adverse witness in a confidential legal proceeding” against OCSE and the Ducks. This filing was made by Katherine Pearson, Harris’s former colleague, regarding her own alleged harassment while working in Anaheim. Harris states that, after the NHL was informed of this, she was intentionally assigned an IT ticket to work on Distler’s email. Shortly thereafter, Harris claims that Distler accused her of hacking his email and immediately fired her. The lawsuit indicates that the NHL never presented any documentation about the alleged hacking and that all of Harris’s electronic devices were returned directly to Distler. Harris also claims that the NHL and OCSE have continued to “blacklist” her in the industry, making it impossible for her to get a job in the sports world. She is seeking punitive damages.Harris recounts that she informed OCSE human resources about the alleged harassment and was told “most likely” some company policies had been violated in these interactions. However, according to the lawsuit, human resources did nothing to stop the situation, and Harris ultimately resigned in December 2024.
Rose Harris Lawsuit
