A host of former employees for Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl, submitted declarations to the Superior Court of Santa Barbara earlier this week, accusing the family’s former nanny, Jessica Gibson, of a host allegations including being overly “sexual” and sprawling out on the kitchen floor suggestively, in hot pants.
In former Lowe family chef James Maclear’s statement to the court, he claims Gibson “had an overly flirtatious manner,” from the first time he met her, which occurred in August 2005, while Rob Lowe was starring in a play in London, England.
“Within hours of her arrival, she had changed into hot pants and was laying on the kitchen floor with her legs open in a very suggestive manner,” Maclear’s declaration continued.
Maclear also claimed, “in general, it was difficult being around Jessica as she seemed to be looking to be sexual with a male most of the time. On several occasions, she would tell me she was very horny.”
Maclear claims Rob Lowe “was a sweet guy,” whom he never saw “do or say anything sexually inappropriate or offensive to anyone.”
The former chef said Gibson would often ask him for confirmation Rob Lowe was flirting with her.
Maclear claimed in his statement that he never saw anything to indicate flirtation on the part of the “Brothers & Sisters” star.
Maclear also said he never saw Sheryl Lowe “do or say anything that was sexually inappropriate or offensive.”
In a declaration by Sheryl Lowe, she claims Gibson worked off and on for the family over the course of six years.
In her statement, Sheryl Lowe said she twice had sunblock incidents with Gibson – once in Cabo San Lucas, during a fishing trip in February 2008, not long before the nanny left the Lowe home for the final time. She claims Gibson asked Rob Lowe to rub sunblock on her and deeming it inappropriate, Sheryl “stepped in” and offered to help the nanny out.
Another sun block incident occurred in “mid-2005,” according to Sheryl Lowe’s statement. During a family trip to Sardinia, Gibson also asked Rob Lowe to rub sunblock on her and Sheryl volunteered to do it instead.
“She got upset with me for stepping in, left us and went back to her room,” Sheryl Lowe’s statement read. “When we returned to the United States from that trip, she quit. She returned to work for us a couple of months later.”
Sheryl Lowe also claimed that in 2005, Gibson took a shower, and walked down several flights of stairs, dripping wet and dressed in only a towel. Once downstairs she said hello to Rob Lowe and did not notice Sheryl Lowe until the actor’s wife “told her to go to her room, put on some clothes and never do that again.”
Jessica Gibson’s sister, Jamie Gibson Sprovieri, also filed a declaration in court, in support of the Lowes.
Sprovieri also worked for the Lowe family, as an estate manager, but left in 2002 “voluntarily” after four years of employment.
Spovieri said in her declaration that in March 2008, “Jessica told me that she had sent the Lowes a demand with a complaint because she was alleging that Rob Lowe had been sexually harassing her. Jessica told me that she had made the demand through an attorney named John Richards and that she was asking for $1.5 million,” Sprovieri’s declaration read.
“She said that our other sister Kelly Gibson encouraged her to ask for $3 million,” the statement continued. “Jessica said that she decided on $1.5 million because she heard another well-known actor had paid that amount to a woman who threatened to bring a sexual harassment claim against him.”
Sprovieri claims Gibson told her if the Lowes had paid her $200 she believed they owed her “none of this would have happened.”
Following the release of the declarations by the court, Gibson’s attorney, Gloria Allred issued a statement to the media, including People.
“This appears to be an attempt to distract from the real issue, which is our allegations of sexual harassment by Rob Lowe of Jessica Gibson, and retaliation against her when she complained of it,” Allred’s statement read. “When the smoke clears, this is what the case is about, and no amount of red herrings will distract the jury from deciding the issues. We’ll be filing our reply next week.”
The Lowes originally filed suit against three ex-employees in April, including Jessica Gibson. One of the suits, against a former chef, was eventually dropped. The lawsuit was not against the chef who submitted the declaration.
Jessica Gibson filed suit days later claiming Rob Lowe touched her inappropriately several times between September 2005 and January 2008.
Rob Lowe has claimed Gibson demanded $1.5 million to remain silent. His attorney says Gibson’s allegations are outrageous and untrue.
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