Is Johnny a Rotten excuse for a gentleman?
A former reality TV show producer has sued the Sex Pistols frontman for assault and battery, claiming he slugged her in the face because he was unhappy with the Los Angeles hotel room she secured for him during a shoot last year.
She is also suing the company she was working for at the time, Bodog Music Ltd., contending her bosses ignored her concerns when she complained about Rotten's behavior.
According to the complaint filed Wednesday in L.A. Superior Court, Roxane Davis was working on the Fuse Television Network series Bodog Battle of the Bands, on which Rotten served as a judge, when her unpleasant, profanity-laced encounter with the punk rock icon occurred.
Part of her job was to see to the needs of the celebs on the show, including their transportation, food and hotel accommodations, Davis said. At the time, Rotten, whose real name is John Lydon, was traveling with his assistant, Jon Stevens. He, according to the plaintiff, was also less than chivalrous.
During the several weeks she had to deal with Stevens on the phone in January 2007, the employee would often refer to her as a "bitch" and several other less printable terms, the lawsuit states.
Then, Davis claims, when the duo arrived at the hotel Jan. 24, Stevens called her and unleashed a "tirade of harassing, insulting and intimidating sex-based remarks that were meant to demean and humiliate her." (Again, all unprintable.)
Rotten later yelled at her in a similar manner when he found out there was no adjoining door between his and Stevens' rooms, the suit continues. That was when he "cocked back his fist to strike Ms. Davis and punched her in the face."
Davis claims Bodog never investigated the attack and, when she informed her supervisor of what happened, he told her, "You get paid to be treated like s--t, you get paid to take the s--t."
Three days later, she was fired via email, according to her complaint.
In addition to multiple violations of the state labor code, Davis is alleging assault and battery, sexual harassment and discrimination, negligent supervision and hiring, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wrongful termination.
A rep for Rotten couldn't immediately be reached for comment. Davis is seeking unspecified damages to remedy a long list of alleged physical and mental trauma.