Tue. March 13, 2007
Los Angeles, CA -
He dropped out of American Idol citing personal reasons and still managed to score a record deal with music pioneer Clive Davis. But long rumored gay AI finalist Mario Vasquez's lucky streak has hit a major pothole with accusations he tried to masturbate in front of a male employee in a bathroom on the set of Idol in 2005.
Vasquez cited his personal need to leave weeks after the alleged incident took place, and now, Magdaleno Olmos, assistant accountant for Freemantle Media, the company that produces American Idol, has filed a sexual harassment suit against the singer, TMZ.com is reporting.
Olmos makes various claims in his suit, including an accusation that Vasquez pulled down his pants in the men's restroom and began rubbing his genitals. Vazquez then allegedly asked Olmos "if he wanted oral sex."
Olmos says Vasquez then began rubbing his hands along his body, and while he managed to get out of the bathroom, Olmos says Vasquez grabbed him "in an effort to stop him."
Olmos says he reported the incident to a superior, who has been named in the suit as Eric LaPointe, but claims he was told he was crazy and that LapPointe repeatedly threatened to fire him if he mentioned the incident to anyone else.
Olmos claims he was terminated a few months after the incident. In addition to suing Vazquez, FOX Entertainment and Fremantle Media are named as defendants in the suit for wrongful termination.
Vasquez has yet to comment on Olmos' allegations.
Gossip Web sites have long rumored Vasquez to be gay since his appearance on American Idol. His self-titled debut CD was released last year and peaked at number 80 on the Billboard Charts. To date, it has sold just 30,000 copies in the United States.
Written By Ross von Metzke
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