Cartoon Network Creator Fired For Sexual Harassment
Ft. Lauderdale, FL- Cartoon artist and creator of Cartoon Network’s “Clarence,” Skyler Page has been suspended amid allegations that he sexually harassed on of his coworkers. Page may make cartoons for children, but his treatment towards the women he works with falls short of innocent and has now thrust him uncomfortably into the spotlight.
Exactly what transpired between Page and storyboard artist Emily Partridge, whom he worked with previously on Adventure Time, has not been made public. On July 3rd, Partridge tweeted, “I heard comments about Skyler’s ‘quirky’ behavior but nothing about is f*cked up behavior until after what happened to me.” Partridge then went on to warn other women not be caught alone with Page.
That set off a firestorm of speculations about what happened with other female coworkers relating similar stories about being groped or harassed by Page, the Daily Mail reported.
In response to the allegations against Page, he was let go by the Cartoon Network which said in a statement, “Skyler Page is no longer an employee at Cartoon Network Studios,” the Wrap reported.
The Wrap also reported that last Wednesday, Ryan Pequin, an artist for “The Regular Show,” wrote on Twitter that Page displayed “repeated, aggressive, bad behavior, especially towards women.”
It’s not known if Partridge complained to her bosses at Cartoon Network about the alleged harassment or if Page’s firing was the result of Partridge’s comments on Twitter. Either way, the popular Atlanta-based network did the right thing by letting him go since sexual harassment only gets worse when left unaddressed.
Partridge’s coworkers at Cartoon Network commended her for speaking out about Page’s behavior. Based on comments other Cartoon Network employees, it would appear that many female employees tolerated inappropriate behavior from Page for some time, but may have not reported it supervisors.
Outing someone who harasses you at work on Twitter is not the best way to approach such a sensitive issue. The best way to approach any harassment or discrimination is to speak with supervisors to give them the opportunity to address the complaints. If they fail to investigate, retaliate against the victim or ignore the allegations all together, the harassed employee has the grounds to hold their accountable for ignoring them when they speak out.
Too many companies, even once they are made aware that sexual harassment is going on, fail to take steps to stop it or prefer to think the victim’s allegations are not legitimate. Sexual harassment attorneys understand what their clients are going through; they understand the physical, emotional and financial problems the victims of a hostile work environment.
With the assistance of a sexual harassment attorney, the victim can seek compensation from their employer for their emotional distress, lost wages and also punitive damages. Getting compensation requires the victim to contact a sexual harassment attorney in their area immediately. Enlisting the services of an employment law attorney is the only way to ensure the victim’s claims are taken seriously and they get the compensation they need.
