'Girls' man Francis hit with lawsuit

LOS ANGELES, July 3 (UPI) -- An ex-employee of Mantra Films and Girls Gone Wild is suing the two companies and founder Joe Frances in Los Angeles, claiming sexual harassment.

In her suit, Tranae Hammond claims she was subjected to repeated acts of sexual harassment by a supervisor, also named in the suit, celebrity news Web site TMZ.com reported. According to papers filed Monday, those acts included touching and massaging her shoulders and arms, conversations about sex in front of her and, at least once, allegedly tapping "(Hammond's) buttocks with a clipboard."

In a statement Tuesday, Frances' attorney said, "(We) want to make clear that there are absolutely no allegations that Joe Francis was involved in any harassment or other wrongdoing. In fact, the lawsuit doesn't even allege that Ms. Hammond ever met Mr. Francis."

Hammond alleged she was subjected to a "hostile environment" after making the complaints known and eventually fired.

The suit said Francis "improperly managed, controlled and dominated Mantra Films Inc. and Girls Gone Wild as his alter ego, agent and instrumentality."

The suit also makes class-action claims of failure to pay overtime, failure to provide required meal and rest periods, and failure to maintain required records.