Dead goose was start of golf club’s humiliation of caddie with Tourette’s, suit says
A private golf club in New York is accused of humiliating and harassing one of its caddies who was ultimately fired in a series of events that began with a dead goose left at his door, according to a new lawsuit.
Former Hudson National Golf Club caddie manager David Anderson, who has Tourette’s and obsessive-compulsive disorder, says his disabilities made him a target for harassment, the lawsuit filed Aug. 18 in Westchester County Supreme Court says.
While caddie manager, Anderson was accused of being a “drug addict” when his medication, which his superiors knew was prescribed for his disabilities, was found on his office desk, the complaint says.
One superior blamed him for the death of a co-worker who had fallen sick — resulting in his firing over the rumors, according to the complaint.
Anderson is suing Hudson National Golf Club, its operations director Theron Harvey and golf director Del Ponchock on several causes of action, including employment discrimination based on disability, hostile work environment, retaliation and defamation.
In an emailed statement on Aug. 29, attorney Joseph DiPalma of Jackson Lewis P.C. law firm, who represents the club, refuted Anderson’s accusations made within the complaint.
“The Club adamantly denies these baseless allegations and will be vigorously defending Plaintiff’s claims,” DiPalma said.
Goose carcass left at Anderson’s doorstep
From June 2021 until November 2022, Anderson worked at Hudson National Golf Club in Croton-on-Hudson, a village along the Hudson River about 40 miles north of New York City.
Anderson’s Tourette’s and OCD — which causes noticeable symptoms, including “exaggerated eye blinking, exaggerated eye rolling, jerking of the head and limbs, touching objects or other people, simple and complex tics, blinking in an unusual way, mouth movements, stepping in a certain pattern, throat clearing, and clearing of the nose” — never got in the way of his job, the complaint says.
During the first several months of employment, Anderson, Harvey and other employees would drink alcoholic beverages while on their lunch breaks, according to the complaint.
It was also typical for Anderson and co-workers to be served alcoholic beverages during and after golf tournaments, the complaint says.
A shift in how Anderson was treated began after he told another club staff member about his disabilities around March or April of 2022.
On April 18, 2022, Harvey and a staff member are accused of shooting a goose and leaving the body on Anderson’s doorstep, the complaint says.
When Anderson approached Harvey about it, he laughed, according to the complaint.
Less than a month later, Anderson raised concerns to Harvey about individuals at the golf club he believed were too intoxicated to drive, the complaint says.
“Stay in your lane…you’re in hot water as it is,” Harvey is accused of telling Anderson in reply.
Anderson called a ‘drug addict’
In June 2022, Ponchock came across a prescription medication bottle that Anderson had left on his desk inside his office, the complaint says.
Ponchock “accused or interrogated (Anderson) about being a ‘drug addict,’” before Harvey yelled at him over the “fire-able offense” of having pills in the office, according to the complaint.
About two weeks later, Anderson, Harvey and Ponchock had drinks together at the club before Harvey asked him whether he was “on drugs” the next day, the complaint says.
Harvey scolded Anderson for drinking while on his medication and about a week later, Anderson was placed on the club’s “do not serve (alcohol) list,” according to the complaint, which says this was done to harass, humiliate, embarrass and discriminate against him.
Anderson blamed for co-worker’s death
From fall of 2021 until October 2022, one of Anderson’s co-worker’s would stay over at his house about twice a week to avoid a long commute home, the complaint says.
In October 2022, the co-worker got sick while at Anderson’s house and later died at a hospital, according to the complaint. How the person died wasn’t specified.
The next day, Ponchock interrogated Anderson about the co-worker’s death and about drug use, the complaint says.
Then, rumors Ponchock is accused of fueling spread throughout the golf club, including rumors that Anderson had a party at his home the evening the co-worker died and that they had died at his house, according to the complaint.
When Anderson went to complain to Harvey about Ponchock, Harvey is accused of screaming at him for “challenging” Harvey’s authority, according to the complaint.
Anderson is fired
On Oct. 30, Harvey is accused of saying the “climate is very hot” with “a lot of rumors” surrounding Anderson, Ponchock and the co-worker’s death, the complaint says.
A month later, Harvey had the local chief of police present when he fired Anderson in his office on Nov. 28, according to the complaint.
“Upon information and belief, (Anderson) was terminated upon the recommendation of one or more individuals who were motivated to terminate (him) based on (his) actual or perceived disabilities,” the complaint says.
Following his firing, Anderson was prevented from collecting his personal property — including contact lenses, glasses, shoes, clothes, golf clubs, golf balls and more — from the golf club, the complaint says.
With his lawsuit, Anderson seeks economic, non-economic, compensatory and punitive damages, as well as back pay, front pay, damages for mental anguish and emotional distress and more, according to the complaint.
In January 2023, a federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of Anderson and other former former caddies against the club, which is accused of not properly paying the caddies and misidentifying them as independent contractors, according to an amended complaint filed in May.
The case is still pending.
This story was originally published August 30, 2023 at 6:36 AM with the headline "Dead goose was start of golf club’s humiliation of caddie with Tourette’s, suit says."
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