A former employee of the Anaheim Ducks and the National Hockey League (NHL) has filed a lawsuit alleging persistent sexual harassment, bullying, and discrimination during her tenure with the organizations. The lawsuit, initiated by Rose Harris, claims that these incidents occurred from July 2022 to December 2024 while she worked as an IT Coordinator for OC Sports and Entertainment (OCSE), which owns the Ducks and their AHL affiliate.
Harris alleges that she endured “repeated and unchecked” harassment, including incidents of “nonconsensual sexualized touching” and a barrage of vulgar, sexist, and derogatory comments. According to the filing, Nick Aguilera, a former member of the OCSE public relations team, subjected her to unwanted physical contact and made inappropriate jokes, while also falsely claiming they were in a sexual relationship. This claim reportedly led to further derogatory remarks from other staff members.
In addition, Harris states that equipment managers of the Ducks contributed to the harassment with similar derogatory comments. She asserts that after reporting the behavior to OCSE’s human resources department, she was informed that their policies had likely been breached, yet no action was taken to curb the bullying.
Harris ultimately resigned in December 2024 and began a new position in IT with the NHL’s front office in New York starting in January 2025. She alleges that OCSE conspired to have her terminated from her new role. The lawsuit claims that once OCSE learned of her employment with the NHL, they informed Patrice Distler, the NHL Senior Vice President and Chief HR Officer, that Harris was a “sexual harassment victim and adverse witness to a confidential legal proceeding” against OCSE and the Ducks. This reference pertains to a separate lawsuit filed by her former colleague, Katherine Pearson, regarding her own allegations of harassment while employed in Anaheim.
Harris further alleges that the NHL subsequently assigned her an IT ticket related to Distler’s email. Shortly after, she claims Distler accused her of hacking the email account and terminated her employment immediately. The lawsuit points out that the NHL has failed to provide any documentation of the alleged hacking, and Harris asserts that her electronics were returned directly to Distler.
Moreover, Harris contends that both the NHL and OCSE have engaged in a campaign to “blacklist” her within the industry, making it exceedingly difficult for her to find future employment in sports. She is now seeking punitive damages as part of her lawsuit.
As the case unfolds, ESPN has reached out to both the NHL and OCSE for comments regarding the allegations presented in Harris’ lawsuit. The outcome may have significant implications for workplace conduct standards in professional sports organizations.
