No company likes a lawsuit brought by an employee.
When it involves $225 million, the head man likes it even less.
But when the boss’s first inkling of it comes from the media, there is almost no way to measure the level of upset.
Such is the life, and the gist of last Saturday’s message, in the current world of NASCAR Chairman Brian France.
France met with the media at Michigan Int’l Speedway and Kentucky Speedway last weekend to clarify NASCAR’s position on the $225 million harassment and discrimination suit filed by former NASCAR Nationwide series official Mauricia Grant.
“The most disappointing aspect of this suit is that we heard about it from the media,” France said.
Equally disappointing, he indicated, was that the claims stemmed from the fact that many of the 57 allegations happened a year or more prior to Grant’s dismissal in October of last year.
“We would have investigated this two years ago if she had said anything,” France said. “It just defies the imagination that she would have sat in multiple training sessions, in diversity training and would have gone through performance reviews.
“It just defies logic that she had all these opportunities and never made a formal complaint.”
France went to great lengths to outline NASCAR’s policy for reporting and dealing with employee claims and complaints, coming to what appears to be a logical conclusion.
“She chose to make this about money and about a lawsuit,” he said, “and we will deal with that.”
Reports of the suspension of two NASCAR Nationwide series officials, reportedly Tim Knox and Bud Moore Friday at Kentucky Speedway prompted France to clarification — and an admonishment of the media.
“Obviously, we found some violations in our policy,” he said, opting not to identify the suspended officials. “I would not jump to conclusions and assume that all of the allegations that were made are accurate. Even if we take action and any of this is investigated, we may discover something entirely different that has nothing to do with these claims, this lawsuit, but is still a violation of our policy.
“That could get you in trouble with us.”
With an organization as large and widespread as NASCAR, it isn’t unreasonable that violations — and violators — of the kind outlined in the suit could happen. Things fall through the cracks, bad-apple employees included.
Sometimes, the guilty parties are found out; sometimes, they escape detection.
The bottom line in all of this is that NASCAR will investigate the claims and respond to them. Both sides will hire attorneys and more discussion, investigations, charges and counter-charges will be made.
It is possible that the lawsuit could wind up in court, and there is no guarantee the outcome will be a favorable one to either side.
The only guaranteed outcome is that NASCAR’s reputation will be harmed, as will Mauricia Grant’s. The extent of the damage remains to be seen.
Only time will tell.