'The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening at the center of a sexual harassment scandal
The Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening is being sued for ignoring a female employee's complaints that she was being harassed by a man who worked for him and his wife.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, a woman named Giavanna Scotto claims that she was a manager at Matt's Santa Monica estate several years ago, and she says she was sexually harassed by one of Groening's employees early on in her employment. She says the man would aggressively grab her butt and breasts and even kiss her on the lips without her consent. He would also text her inappropriately, saying things like, "Hey honey," "I miss you," and "I miss you so much, I love you, I hope you're okay, I love you, I love you." He was not bothered by the lack of reciprocity, which made her feel "harassed."
She complained to Matt and his wife, Agustina Picasso, about the alleged harassment, but the couple "failed to take appropriate steps to remedy the situation" and "Picasso clearly knew about the harassment and failed to act." This behavior by Groening and Picasso only "emboldened her alleged harasser," and Scotto says he continued the behavior for the rest of her tenure and beyond. She claims Groening and Picasso abruptly fired her in June 2022, without warning or explanation.
The lawsuit also alleges battery and sexual assault, as well as labor law violations.