Smutty gingerbread house at ambulance squad’s holiday party is part of lawsuit
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A Long Island volunteer ambulance service held a holiday party that featured a smutty gingerbread house — complete with gummy bears arranged to simulate group sex and the words “sexual harassment in progress” written in icing on its roof, new court papers charge.
EMTs Ramis Ruiz and John Messing described the gingerbread house — and even included a photo of it — in their Brooklyn federal-court suit against the Bay Shore-Brightwaters Rescue Ambulance service, which they say is guilty of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination.
Priscila Korb, Bay Shore Patch:
According to the 2015 lawsuit, the gingerbread house had gummy bears placed in “sexual positions,” the words “Ho, Ho, Ho” directed toward them, hand-drawn pictures of a hand giving the middle finger and other profanities. It was made by a member and placed in a common area.
The display was taken down after several civilians saw it and expressed concerns. However, no action was taken against the person who made the display.
Some of Ruiz’s colleagues spread false rumors in late 2016 about her “sleeping with” other members at the Long Island facility but her complaints to superiors were ignored, she also alleged in the suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
The suit alleges that Ruiz, who photographed the display, “did not complain out of fear of retaliation” and that the only reason the gingerbread house was removed was “because nonmember civilians, who were present in the BSBRA facility and saw the horrific display, expressed concerns about its presence.”
Raymis Ruiz, 21, a crew chief, said a crew member spread false rumors that she was having sex with other members in order to influence an in-house election in October 2016, according to the lawsuit, which was filed by Manhattan attorney Gregory Calliste Jr.
That crew member also made explicit sexual overtures to her, the lawsuit said. Other crew members joined in the harassment, and when an assistant chief learned of the complaints, he told Ruiz not to escalate her complaints to department heads, according to the suit. Eventually the assistant chief and others joined in the intimidation against Ruiz, the lawsuit said.
