HMS CEO Bob Lovell, known for TV ads with the tagline “Bless your heart,” was ordered to pay $5,740,095 in damages, fees and interests, court records show.
DALLAS — A Dallas judge has ordered Home Marketing Services (HMS) CEO Robert “Bob” Lovell, who is known for TV ads with the tagline “Bless your heart,” to pay $5,740,095 in damages, fees and interest to a woman who sued him, alleging sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace, court records show.
The lawsuit was filed in Dallas County in 2021 by a woman identified only as “Jane Doe,” who alleged Lovell, the founder and longtime owner of HMS, required her to perform sexual acts on him in the workplace while she worked at HMS over the span of two years and retaliated against her when she refused, according to court documents. The lawsuit names both Lovell and HMS.
Lovell, when reached for comment by WFAA, denied the allegations and said he intends to appeal the ruling. He declined to comment further on the case.
The lawsuit alleges others in the office had also expressed similar concerns about Lovell.
“Lovell’s public persona in his ‘bless your heart’ commercials portrays him as kind, gentle, caring grandfather. The truth is he is nothing but dirty old man who preys on young, female employees,” the original lawsuit alleged, according to court records. “When demanding sexual favors from his female employees, Lovell uses the code phrase ‘my zipper is tight,’ ‘I need help with my zipper.’ Recently, Jane Doe stood up to Lovell and refused…In retaliation, within minutes, Lovell cancelled Plaintiff daughter’s health insurance.”
Last month, after six days of trial, a judge ruled in favor of the woman and ordered Lovell to pay $5,740,095 in damages, fees, and interest, court records show.
The Rogge Dunn Group, which represented the woman in the case, said the ruling marks the third-largest sexual harassment judgment ever in Texas for a single plaintiff, and the first time an individual Texas business owner or employee has been held personally liable under a law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2021.
“Texas law now holds employees personally accountable when they sexually harass a fellow employee,” said attorney Rogge Dunn, founder of the Rogge Dunn Group. “This judgment sends a message: Executives and employees who sexually harass employees and then retaliate when those employees stand up for themselves will face significant consequences. It’s also noteworthy that victims can sue under the name ‘Jane Doe’ or ‘John Doe’ to protect their identity and privacy.”
“No employee should have to endure the abuse I suffered from a man in a powerful position. I’m pleased that Texas law now provides additional protection to women in the workplace,” Jane Doe said in a statement.