CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The toney Hyde Park County Club in Cincinnati could be on the verge of a scandal involving allegations it employed illegal aliens. There also may be problems with fake Social Security numbers. Former food and beverage director Ted Marinakis, who has been at the club for some 24 years, filed a whistleblower lawsuit claiming he was sacked after reporting suspected violations of immigration rules. Marinakis is represented by noted Cincinnati civil rights lawyer Alphonse A Gerhardstein, an experienced litigator whose many victories included a huge settlement from the State of Ohio for prisoner abuses after the Lucasville riot in 1993. Marinakis' lawsuit is 10 pages long and was filed earlier this week in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court. It has been assigned to Judge Dennis Helmick.
The country club has not yet filed its reply to the Marinakis' complaint, which is available on the Hamilton County Clerk of Court's website. About the undocumented workers, the complaint states: "In 2008, Mr. Marinakis learned that HPCC [was] hiring illegal immigrants and then giving them fake Social Security numbers. Mr. Marinakis reported the illegal activity both verbally and in writing to . . . HPCC did not stop its unlawful conduct. Mr. Marinakis reasonably believed that hiring illegal aliens and falsifying identification documents were criminal offenses that were felonies, likely to cause an imminent risk of physical harm to persons or a hazard to public health or safety, or against federal law."
Marinakis also claims the club allowed smoking in violation of the anti-smoking measure passed in 2006. He claims gambling was tolerated. He claims he had been harassed in the past and targeted with pornographic e-mails. Marinakis is seeking an injunction requiring the county club to reinstate him. The lawsuit says that in 2004, Marinakis reported sexual harassment against two female employees and was fired. It says he was reinstated after filing a discrimination charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission: "The OCRC found probable cause that HPCC discriminated and retaliated against Mr. Marinakis for engaging in protected activity. As part of a settlement of the charge, the HPCC reinstated Mr. Marinakis to the position of Food and Beverage Coordinator."
The country club has not yet filed its reply to the Marinakis' complaint, which is available on the Hamilton County Clerk of Court's website. About the undocumented workers, the complaint states: "In 2008, Mr. Marinakis learned that HPCC [was] hiring illegal immigrants and then giving them fake Social Security numbers. Mr. Marinakis reported the illegal activity both verbally and in writing to . . . HPCC did not stop its unlawful conduct. Mr. Marinakis reasonably believed that hiring illegal aliens and falsifying identification documents were criminal offenses that were felonies, likely to cause an imminent risk of physical harm to persons or a hazard to public health or safety, or against federal law."
Marinakis also claims the club allowed smoking in violation of the anti-smoking measure passed in 2006. He claims gambling was tolerated. He claims he had been harassed in the past and targeted with pornographic e-mails. Marinakis is seeking an injunction requiring the county club to reinstate him. The lawsuit says that in 2004, Marinakis reported sexual harassment against two female employees and was fired. It says he was reinstated after filing a discrimination charge with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission: "The OCRC found probable cause that HPCC discriminated and retaliated against Mr. Marinakis for engaging in protected activity. As part of a settlement of the charge, the HPCC reinstated Mr. Marinakis to the position of Food and Beverage Coordinator."
The GM should be fired for allowing this to happen! This is ridiculous! I am a member at HPCC and I am disgusted by these allegations.
ReplyDeleteGM IS A CREEPERRRRRR.... I work for himmmmmm
ReplyDeleteyou will never find a better person to work for than the General Manager at the Hyde Park Country Club.. notice I said the word work ,,, I guess some people dont know the meaning of good work ethics.... If you work for him and he is a creep why are you still there? cant be to bad huh maybe you should look in the mirror....
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should learn the use of "grammar"....'to' and 'too' are completely different, by the way. Are you related to Eric? And do you write his columns each month?
ReplyDeleteP.S. If you mean sit in an office, watch video cameras and only come down when board members are at the club, then that must be "work"
ReplyDeleteTEDDY, TEDDY, TEDDY
ReplyDeleteI see TEDDY is going back for a 2nd helping. Too bad you've played this card already, TEDDY. I suggest, TEDDY, to just move on with your life, dry your tear ducts & become a man. However, those who know what you're about also know... you won't. Boys blame others, make excuses & file frivilous lawsuits.
For a great time, skip Hollywood and take a trip to HPCC, to win some serious cash, especially during tournament play. I know - I won thousands of dollars during the last Art Smith Tournament! Thanks guys!
ReplyDeleteYou should try working for his creepy brother downtown.
ReplyDeleteBadges? we don't need no stinkin' badges!
ReplyDeleteI think the GM likes to play hide-and-seek, except everyone knows he hides in his office...so it's not much of game!!
ReplyDeletei didn't realize HPCC was cool enough t gossip about. ...where have i been?
ReplyDeleteAs a former employee of HPCC bagroom I can without a doubt promise you there was large sums of cash being passed around come tourney time, too much money to be considered legal. As for illegals on the grounds crew, I have a friend who works on the crew and says not a single one of them is legit. To top off these shenanigans HPCC is pulling, as a former employee I was offered money for drugs, namely marijuana and meth, by the grounds crew. The only legit guy there is Larry, he was and is a straight shooter. If I had to blame anyone other than the GM Eric I would have to say Jeff from the proshop, he was always real shady and seemed to always be stirring the pot as far as back door drug trades and illegal gambling.
ReplyDeleteInternet Privacy Law:
ReplyDeleteWAIVER
Internet users sometimes do not realize the amount of privacy that is lost when accessing the online world. Usenet postings and contributions to bulletin boards may remain archived forever. Public records are available free or for a fee. While much of this information has been freely available in the past, the advent of the Internet has made it available more easily and quickly.
LIABILITY
Generally, there is no safety in activity that is unlawful. Anonymity should not be considered a secure shield because, ultimately, any data may be intercepted. An offender is specifically liable for damages to the victim. At times, this liability can be extended to include others (e.g. an employer) with a greater capacity for satisfying the judgment.
Individual states specifically prohibit defamation, no matter what form it takes. Defamation consists of false and unprivileged publication which results in economic damages. Financial loss is not necessary where the statement implies that a person is a criminal or has an unpleasant disease, or which injures a person in respect to his other office, profession, or business. A judge in Texas issued an injunction to stop defamatory posting by an Internet user. Hate messages sent by e-mail have also resulted in criminal penalties.
In some cases, companies have asked the court system to identify the authors of anonymous defamatorymessages. This has been done by filing "John Doe" lawsuits andissuing subpoenas to Yahoo! and other message boards where individuals have posted the disparaging messages. Most such subpoenas go unchallenged.
Wow Little Bag Boy, I hope you read the post following your pathetic diatribe. Those are some serious accusations you're spewing. Its a good thing you are Anonymous...or are YOU?
ReplyDeleteWhat about Ted? Clearly no one thinks he is the problem. This isn't the first time he has tried to swindle the club for money... Many have quit b/c of him and so did I. He is a horrible manager and members don't like him. Let's face the fact that this a private club and he wasn't getting it done. As far as the illegal alien issue, look up the laws, if a person supplies a ss#, until social security rejects it, there is nothing an employer can do, it is considered discrimination otherwise!
ReplyDelete