FORMER TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL EMPLOYEE ACCUSES FOUNDER OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN LAWSUIT

  

A former Texas Renaissance Festival employee is suing the organization and another company owned by festival founder George Coulam.

In the federal lawsuit filed against the festival and Stargate Manor Arboretum, Toni Ewton accuses Coulam, who is also the mayor of Todd Mission, where the festival is located, of sexual discrimination and sexual harassment, along with wrongful termination.

Ewton, who was hired as a personal assistant in August 2019, alleges she was instructed by Coulam to find him women on various dating websites after he ended his previous relationship with a woman whom she claims he met at a strip club.

Ewton claims she was told to lie about his age on his profiles, several of which were on sugar daddy websites, and to say that he would provide payment to the women.  She also states she was made uncomfortable by Coulam’s “constant sexual comments” and “sexually-charged criticisms” of the women on the sites, saying they were “too fat” or “too ugly.”

In early February, Ewton complained to Coulam, saying she felt this was a hostile work environment and that she no longer wanted to perform these duties.  She was told to find her own replacement and later fired.

The festival and Stargate Manor Arboretum are named in the lawsuit because Ewton says they “knew or should have known” about the alleged sexual harassment, discrimination, and civil rights violations.

Ewton is asking for back pay, front pay, lost benefits, and compensatory and punitive damages.

The Texas Renaissance Festival and Coulam, who is not named as a defendant, have declined to comment on the lawsuit.