DARK NIGHT COMIC CREATOR'S GF SUED BY DINDI GALLARDO
This is dark — even for The Dark Knight. A woman who worked for legendary comic-book writer Frank Miller says she was put through hell by the "Batman" scribe's gal pal.
That’s the subhead of a news item that came out in New York Post. The woman being referred to in the story is Dindi Gallardo filed a case against the Dark Knight creator and his girlfriend “for hostile work environment.”
Here is the full story as posted by the New York Post:
In a Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit, Joanna Gallardo-Mills, 41, says Miller's the "Sin City" creator's girlfriend, Kimberly Cox, smeared her work area with feces, destroyed her printer with a hammer, threw phones at her, and even left a used feminine hygiene pad by her desk. "Nobody should have to work under those conditions," said her lawyer, high-powered employment attorney Matthew Blit.
Gallardo-Mills claims she was canned for complaining about how Cox was treating her. The suit says Gallardo-Mills went to work for Miller — whose 1986 Batman comic series "The Dark Knight Returns" is considered revolutionary — as an executive coordinator in November 2008.
The Philippines native said it wasn't long before there were problems with Cox, Miller's much-younger actress girlfriend. Cox soon made it clear she had issues with Gallardo-Mills, yelling things like, "I can't understand your funky accent. Speak f--king English," the suit says.
The suit notes Gallardo-Mills "has lived in the United States for over 20 years, is fully fluent in English, and only spoke English in her professional capacity" with Miller. Cox yesterday said she was 'shocked' by the suit. "We didn't know this was going forward because she was offered a very heavy settlement and declined," she said.
Gallardo-Mills' work situation went in the toilet In July 2010, when Cox allegedly threw a phone and chair at Gallardo-Mills — and "smeared human feces" on a countertop in her work area in the Hell's Kitchen living/work space that Miller and Cox shared, the suit says.
A year later, Cox went on another rampage, the suit says, scattering all of Gallardo-Mills’ files across the floor and destroying her printer "with a hammer," the suit says. Then, Cox left her filthy underwear and "used menstrual pad" in her work space, the suit says.
After Gallardo-Mills complained, Miller eventually agreed to let her work out of her home to keep her away from Cox. She's seeking unspecified money damages from Miller and Cox for discrimination and "mental anguish."
A representative for Miller did not return a call for comment.
Here are some excerpts from the interview written by Cristina Pastor of The FilAm last May 2012 :
Q. Your boss didn’t know you were an actress?
A. I don’t talk about that. If they know you’re an actress chances are they’re not going to hire you because they’d think you just want to be in this industry. Double life talaga. Well, now he knows.
Q. Ten years in New York. What’s that like?
A. I love New York. I love my job. I can’t get into major details. My boss—he’s pretty big. I’m like his right-hand person. I work with his team of lawyers, agents, accountants. I’ve been with him 3.5 years.
Q. How did you land this current position with this artist?
A. I quit Buchwald to get another job with a bigger production company. But it didn’t happen. I was really upset. Then boom, this job fell on my lap. I didn’t even know who (my future boss) was. We clicked so well. I got promoted two times. We’re about to film a big, big film with a full cast.
Q. Have you experienced being racially discriminated in New York?
A. Oh yes. In one of the companies I worked for, my boss wanted me to work on Thanksgiving and this person said, why should you get a holiday? You don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in the Philippines.
