Runaways actor Kip Pardue has been found guilty of misconduct and fined $6,000 by SAG-AFTRA for sexually harassing actress Sarah Scott in May 2018, according to a new report from the Los Angeles Times.
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Last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that Scott and Pardue were filming scenes for an independent series pilot called Mogulettes when Pardue grabbed Scott’s hand and placed it on his groin before cameras started rolling on a post-sex scene for the pilot. Scott said that after that incident, Pardue called her into his dressing room and began to masturbate in front of her, something that shocked her as it happened in the wake of the #MeToo movement.
“I literally froze. I said, ‘What are you doing?’
“This isn’t a #MeToo thing,’” Scott alleged was Pardue’s response. “I’m not your employer. It’s not like I can fire you.’”
After the incidents, Scott reported them to SAG-AFTRA and while union officials were sympathetic, their response moved more slowly, something Scott said at the time made her understand why so many victims simply don’t speak out.
“Speaking out about this has been extraordinarily difficult for me, and now I understand why so many don’t,” Scott said. A hearing to question Pardue’s behavior eventually was announced and ultimately took place in March.
According to Variety, a letter sent to Scott outlined the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings, noting that Pardue was found “guilty of serious misconduct in violation” of the SAG-AFTRA constitution and that the notice went on to tell Pardue that the committee “censure and admonishes you for this inappropriate and unprofessional conduct.”
In addition to being told that his behavior is inconsistent with the SAG-AFTRA code of conduct, Pardue was also fined $6,000, though he was also informed that if he takes an online workplace sexual harassment training module within 90 days, that fine would be reduced by half to $3,000. Per Pardue’s attorney, Shepard Kopp, the actor “never engaged in any non-consensual behavior.”
As for Scott’s response to the hearing’s outcome, she told the Los Angeles Times that while she would have preferred a different outcome, the fine is a “step in the right direction”.
“I don’t know if I’m supposed to feel good about the punishment or not,” Scott said. “I would have liked to have seen a couple of years’ suspension, but this is a step in the right direction.”
