Woman claims she was fired after warning other cheerleaders

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NEW YORK -- A former captain of the New York Rangers skating cheerleading squad sued the owner of Madison Square Garden on Monday, saying she was fired after she told fellow cheerleaders she was sexually harassed by an MSG staff member.

Courtney Prince, 25, of Manhattan, said in a lawsuit in U.S. District Court that the New York Rangers City Skaters cheerleading squad had been warned not to fraternize with players but was allowed to mix with staff at the Garden, where the Rangers play home games.

According to the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, MSG managers and supervisors met or took some of the dozen cheerleaders to bars and restaurants and bought alcohol for some underage cheerleaders.

In the lawsuit against Cablevision Systems Corp., which manages the Madison Square Garden sports and entertainment business, Prince alleged she was harassed by a member of management at a bar after a postgame party on Dec. 22.

She alleged she was fired in January after she was accused of "disparaging" members of management by calling them sexual predators.

MSG said it believed "the allegations are unfounded."

In an interview, Prince said MSG management operated like "a boy's club" and she ran into trouble when she tried to protect younger cheerleaders.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission recommended in August that MSG have its employees undergo sexual harassment discrimination training and pay Prince $800,000 in damages.

Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press

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