On Thu., June 27 at a co-working space in Bend, two former employees of Black Butte Ranch held a press conference with their lawyers detailing years of abuse and harassment by a former co-worker, Glenn Michael Woosley. They also announced a $13.5 million dollar lawsuit on behalf of themselves and seven other former employees against Black Butte Ranch and the management at the time, who the claimants say knew about the abuse and did nothing to stop it.
“I was touched numerous times, in numerous places and made very inappropriate comments to,” said Colin Palmer of the alleged harassment by Woosley. “I also watched my peers and coworkers around me get very nasty comments and get sexually assaulted as well. It made me very uncomfortable as well to see that none of the higher ups around me really cared at that point,” he added.
Palmer started at Black Butte Ranch when he was 16 years old, soon after getting his driver’s license. He said his first run-in with Woosley was shortly after he started working there while he was still a minor, he said.
Brody Anderson, another claimant in the lawsuit, grew up in Sisters and started as a busboy at the ranch after graduating high school.
“He groped me in the privates and butt area, he made sexual remarks and comments to us a lot. He tried to make us question our sexuality, and in my case, he even struck me,” Anderson said when asked to detail his interactions with Woosley. “He slapped me pretty hard, twice.”
Palmer and Anderson began at Robert’s Pub (a part of the Black Butte Ranch property) in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and each worked with Woosley while at the pub. Most of the alleged abuse detailed among them and the seven other claimants occurred in early 2022. It ended with Woosley’s firing after three employees reported the abuse to Black Butte Ranch Police Department, according to Black Butte Ranch Police’s case report on Woosley from 2022.
“We think this is just the tip of the iceberg.” — Jason Kafoury
Woosley, who was 75 years old at the time of his arrest, had worked at the ranch for nearly three decades. He was well known in the community and beloved among many of the resort’s owners, according to the police report. When interviewed by police in August of 2022, Woosley said he was known as “Mr. Black Butte,” a nickname he said was given to him by Black Butte management in recognition of how well-liked he was by community members.
In police interviews, multiple alleged victims said that it was this perception of prominence and power that kept them from reporting abuse and harassment earlier. Most of the former employees who came forward in July 2022 to file a police report against Woosley were young men around 20 years old. Anderson, who was at the press conference to speak out against Woosley and Black Butte Ranch, said that Woosley had a “type” and that he especially was targeted, enduring more groping and verbal abuse than others.
“He groped me in the privates and butt area, he made sexual remarks and comments to us a lot. He tried to make us question our sexuality and in my case he even struck me.” — Brody Anderson
On July 11, 2022, Anderson, along with two other employees, went to Black Butte Ranch Police Department and filed a report against Woosley, whose behavior seemed to have been escalating according to details they gave in the police report, describing touching coworkers over their clothes, evolving to putting his hands down one person’s pants and groping his penis. Although he mostly went after men, there was one woman who said Woosley, unprompted, reached out and grabbed her breast while at work, according to the report. In each of these incidents, the alleged victims said they reported Woosley’s actions and management did nothing. And in the case of the man who said Woosley had put his hands down his pants, he was told, “Don’t go to the police,” by his manager, according to a police report from Aug. 2, 2022.
Following the filing of the lawsuit, Kyle Cummings, Black Butte Ranch’s CEO, released a letter to the community in support of the former employees who he called “brave” for reporting Woosley.
“It made me very uncomfortable as well to see that none of the higher ups around me really cared at that point.” — Colin Palmer
“Coming forward with the information about Woosley’s behavior was difficult and courageous. We thank our team members who did so, and we stand beside our employees in their outrage over his actions,” the letter read. “This week, additional employees came forward and joined in filing a lawsuit regarding these issues. We take the claims in this suit extremely seriously and reiterate our support for any of our employees who experienced harassment from Woosley.”
Woosley was arrested in August of 2022 on multiple counts of sexual abuse and harassment. In May of last year, he pleaded no contest to two counts of sexual abuse and one count of harassment. He was given 30 days in county jail and fined a few hundred dollars, according to a copy of his plea deal.
“We think he’s a danger to the community and our society,” said Jason Kafoury, one of the attorneys representing the nine former employees in the lawsuit. “Not only does Black Butte deserve to be responsible, we think Woosley deserves a lot more time behind bars as well,” he said. Kafoury and co-council Christopher Larsen of Pickett Dummigan McCall LLP said that they believe Woosley abused others while employed at Black Butte Ranch and are asking that anyone who may have been harassed or a witness to harassment contact their offices.
“We think this is just the tip of the iceberg,” Kafoury said. Since last week’s press conference, Kafoury said the lawyers have heard from other former employees about prior complaints against Woosley dating back to 2015. “We are actively interviewing a lot of people right now,” he said.
This article appears in Source Weekly July 4, 2024.
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