Planet Bluegrass has responded to sexual harassment claims in a lawsuit filed by a former female employee against owner Craig Ferguson.<\/p>\n
Ferguson is being sued by a former employee alleging persistent sexual harassment, unwanted touching, and wrongful termination, according to a lawsuit filed Friday in Boulder County District Court.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe received a complaint that is not characteristic of who we are,\u201d said Planet Bluegrass attorney Josh Kirkpatrick in a statement. \u201cThis community knows that we have spent the last three decades creating a respectful and admirable community here. Our festival community is known across the country for its high standards and sense of integrity that values people most of all. This complaint is unprecedented and in conflict with our history and our values.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only are many of the allegations contained within this complaint flatly unsubstantiated, it does not accurately reflect the true nature of various parties\u2019 interactions or even the described events. Prior to the complaint being filed in court, we received a letter from this individual demanding an exorbitant sum of money to prevent these types of hurtful accusations from being made in a sudden, publicized lawsuit, which we now look forward to addressing in court where the facts will prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n
Planet Bluegrass is largely known for planning some of Colorado\u2019s most popular and acclaimed music festivals in Telluride and Lyons.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit claims that Ferguson engaged in the \u201cpersistent, outrageous, and violent sexual harassment\u201d of the former employee. It also claims the human resources manager for Planet Bluegrass ignored the woman\u2019s concerns when she took them to him. Eleven days after the HR complaint, the plaintiff alleged that Ferguson stormed into her on-site residence and fired her.<\/p>\n