Jets file countersuit vs. ex-exec, allege conspiracy

The New York Jets filed a countersuit Tuesday alleging a erstwhile vice president participated successful an "unlawful conspiracy" to falsely impeach squad president Hymie Elhai of intersexual harassment "solely for the intent of destroying his impeccable estimation and career."

Elaine Chen, the erstwhile vice president of finance, claims successful a suit filed past Thursday that she and her husband, Larry Fitzpatrick, the team's erstwhile vice president of summons sales, were fired arsenic retaliation aft the claims were made against Elhai.

The Jets responded with a 67-page suit, obtained by ESPN, that claims Chen knowingly participated successful the submission of a fabricated email aimed astatine damaging Elhai and the Jets.

The email was created by an unidentified erstwhile worker who, erstwhile confronted by the team, admitted that his allegations of harassment against Elhai had nary factual ground and that helium had worked successful performance with Fitzpatrick to nonstop the anonymous email, the Jets said.

The Jets person started an arbitration proceeding against Chen and Fitzpatrick, asserting claims for defamation, tortious interference and civilian conspiracy, among different claims.

The Jets' suit contains dozens of texts and screenshots from Fitzpatrick's team-owned phone, which was collected upon his dismissal. A forensic reappraisal of the telephone shows that Fitzpatrick lied astir his relation successful the sending of the anonymous email and that helium deleted 4,000 texts successful an effort to obstruct the investigation, according to the suit.

When questioned by the Jets, Fitzpatrick, with an lawyer present, took retired his telephone and started "furiously tapping" the apical of it, appearing to beryllium deleting texts, per the suit. He told investigators successful the gathering that helium was texting his woman connected different matter.

After Fitzpatrick handed implicit his phone, the Jets' forensic reappraisal revealed that the "recently deleted" folder successful the telephone included astir 4,000 deleted texts with existent and erstwhile Jets employees. The suit includes a screenshot of the "recently deleted" folder.

One alleged substance speech occurred July 10. It was to Fitzpatrick from the idiosyncratic who sent the anonymous email astir Elhai.

"You and Elaine person to not archer anyone and I mean anyone that I sent this. He tin writer maine for slander and adjacent tho he'd beryllium 100% wrong, don't request the headache. I acceptable up a burner anonymous relationship and a vpn truthful they can't way my IP address."

Fitzpatrick allegedly responded, "Will do. Will get you the info you request successful a small bit."

The adjacent day, Fitzpatrick texted Chen to archer her helium was sending the email to her, the suit says. Their alleged exchange, successful part, went similar this:

Chen: "Okay beryllium careful."

Fitzpatrick: "For sure. You work it?"

Chen: "Pretty brilliant."

Fitzpatrick's telephone besides included substance messages to different Jets employees objectifying women and making sexually explicit comments, visiting adult-oriented websites connected his institution phone, and interactions with women connected akin sites that consisted of him sending a photograph of his genitals, the suit alleges. The Jets besides assertion helium violated the NFL's gambling argumentation by participating successful Super Bowl squares pools.

Chen's lawyer didn't instantly instrumentality a telephone for comment.

Chen was hired successful 2010 by the Jets arsenic a concern director. She was named a vice president successful 2021. Elhai has been with the enactment since 2000 and became the team's president successful 2019.

In her lawsuit, Chen said an anonymous email was sent to respective squad employees accusing Elhai of sending inappropriate substance messages to pistillate employees and different incidents of misconduct.

Chen said successful her suit that the Jets, during their interior investigation, targeted radical successful the enactment who "supported the allegations against Elhai and/or the content that Mr. Elhai's intersexual behaviour warranted an existent probe and/or disciplinary action."

She said Fitzpatrick received a transcript of the email, was "interrogated" astir it by the Jets and was soon fired aft confirming the allegations against Elhai. She said she was terminated successful a lawsuit of marital discrimination. The Jets said she was fired for misconduct, including his dishonesty with investigators and her information successful wha...