North Texas ‘Bless Your Heart’ real estate broker faces sexual harassment lawsuit
A lawsuit was filed late Wednesday against the president of Home Marketing Services, who’s known in North Texas for his “bless your heart” commercials, accusing him of demanding oral sex and intercourse in his office during business hours.
The lawsuit filed in Dallas County listed the defendants as 71-year-old Robert “Bob” Lovell and Home Marketing Services, a real estate company based in Farmers Branch.
The plaintiff was listed as Jane Doe, an anonymous former employee of HMS.
“We are aware of the situation,” Lovell said Thursday in a telephone interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He referred questions to his attorney, Scott Anderson of Dallas.
Anderson could not be reached Thursday for comment.
Rogge Dunn of Dallas, Jane Doe’s attorney, called the lawsuit important.
“Jane Doe is courageous,” Dunn said Thursday. “These types of lawsuits are not easy. An employee needs to be free from sexual harassment and discrimination.”
The lawsuit alleges that Lovell grooms and manipulates female employees, demanding sexual favors from them by using code phrases such as “my zipper is tight,” or “I need help with my zipper.”
At one point, Jane Doe refused to perform oral sex in his office and he canceled her daughter’s health insurance, according to the lawsuit.
The woman filed a discrimination charge with the Texas Workforce Commission for sexual harassment and retaliation. Afterward, the lawsuit says, Lovell and “HMS began a campaign of retaliation to make (her) work environment so intolerable that she has no other choice but to quit.”
She is seeking damages over $1 million in the sexual harassment suit.
Jane Doe claims that in August 2019 Lovell enticed her to quit her job and work at HMS as Lovell offered to pay for her real estate classes.
She was hired, but other employees warned her that if Lovell didn’t like an employee he would reduce or stop providing customer leads to that employee.
At some point, Lovell began “confiding in” Jane Doe about his marriage, complaining that his wife did not enjoy sex, according to the suit.
The lawsuit alleges that Lovell’s comments implied that he had hired Jane Doe for sex. Jane Doe said she gave in to Lovell’s sex demands because she feared losing her job and then would not be able to provide for her 13-year-old daughter and her 72-year-old mother.
Lovell often demanded sexual favors before he would provide customer leads for Jane Doe, the lawsuit states.
Jane Doe began refusing Lovell’s sexual demands when she became engaged, and her customer leads were reduced in quality and quantity, according to the suit.
This story was originally published December 2, 2021 at 1:54 PM.
