Former WFAN AE Files Lawsuit
• The radio industry was rocked on Thursday with word of a shocking lawsuit filed Wednesday by a former WFAN/New York account executive. The New York Post reports Lauren Lockwood, 40, who sold for WFAN and the Yankees Radio Network (under former owner CBS Radio) from 2006 until July of last year, has filed a $5 million lawsuit, claiming management tolerated a “Mad Men”-style work environment that subjected her to sexual harassment. The complaint claims WFAN was run “like a frat house,” with drinking by employees starting as early as 10am and executives condoning buying prostitutes for clients.
Among the more lurid details of the 39-page suit filed in Brooklyn state court, Lockwood alleges that WFAN midday co-host Joe Benigno (pictured) repeatedly attempted to pressure her into having a threesome with his wife and a prostitute. The suit also alleges Benigno ranked the women in the office on the basis of their looks — and carried on an affair with a female subordinate for roughly two years. Lockwood claims that her career was short-circuited after she rebuffed Benigno’s advances.
The Post story goes on to say that Lockwood’s career with WFAN “came to a crashing end” soon after a July 13, 2017 promotional event before the Conor McGregor/Floyd Mayweather boxing match in Las Vegas. While in a luxury suite at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a fight broke out between a former male ad exec Lockwood brought as a guest and two CBS Radio employees, the suit claims. As Lockwood attempted to break up the fight, she was reportedly punched in the face. The next day, Lockwood was the only employee to be suspended, it is alleged. Her boss, Sean Argaman, would later fire her, court papers claims. The suit, which seeks $5 million in damages, names as defendants CBS Radio, Benigno, Argaman, another ad exec, Mark Zukerman, and other unidentified employees.
