Suit: Woman fired for harassment complaint

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 12 (UPI) -- A Florida woman's lawsuit against her former employer claims she was fired in retaliation for accusing mangers of commenting on her breasts.

Amy-Erin Blakely, 43, of Orlando, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Devereux Foundation claiming she was fired last year in retaliation for complaining about sexual harassment on the part of managers, WKMG-TV, Orlando, reported Friday.

"It was very humiliating to know that senior members of our management team would focus on my breasts as opposed to my performance on the job. It made me feel as though I should be ashamed of the way that I looked and of my body," Blakely told a Thursday news conference.

Gloria Allred, Blakely's lawyer, said the sexual harassment went on for about five years.

"Ms. Blakely alleges that she was told that other employees complained that they could not concentrate in meetings because all they saw were her 'big breasts,'" Allred said. "She also alleges that someone in management talked about how large her breasts were and that she needed to 'hide them.'"

Devereux Chief Executive Officer Robert Kreider released a statement saying the company has not received the formal complaint.

"Ms. Allred has, however, shared details of the allegations and we can tell you that they are purposefully inflammatory, and either spurious or twisted in content and context," he said. "In no way do these allegations represent the truth about our organization or our staff, but here is what does. We have a deep and abiding respect for women in our organization, as evidenced by the fact that more than 50 percent of our senior leadership team is female."