Ford attorneys have convinced a judge presiding over a harassment case against the automaker to allow lyrics from the plaintiff's songs, which were performed while the former employee worked for Eminem, to be presented as evidence.
According to the lawsuit filed in 2019 by former employee, DeAnna Johnson, a supervisor at the Dearborn Truck Plant engaged in sexual harassment and created a hostile work environment. The lawsuit alleges Johnson's supervisor called her a “chocolate Jolly Rancher” and requested explicit photos from her and other employees.
Ford reportedly investigated Johnson’s complaints at the time and fired the supervisor.
According an article in The Detroit News, Ford attempted to minimize the impact of the supervisor's conduct by bringing up Johnson’s past.
The article reported court filings by Ford's attorney's stated Johnson, who used the stage name “Sindy Syringe,” performed on a 2005 song about sex acts by her husband, a rapper known as Bizarre, who was a close friend of Eminem.
“Evidence that (Johnson) was no shrinking violet, unoffended by off-color language is thus relevant,” Ford attorney Thomas Davis wrote in one filing, reported Automotive News. According to Davis, Johnson's supervisor testified that Johnson frequently used vulgar language herself, and even took pride in it, contradicting her claim of being in an abusive environment.
The judge hearing the case concurred with Ford's claim that the lyrics from Johnson's songs are significant and can be used as evidence in the trial scheduled for September.
