Ex-New York Mets executive claims she was fired for being pregnant
By Ed Carroll
The former New York Mets executive head of marketing and ticket sales filed a lawsuit in a Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday, alleging Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon, son of Mets owner Fred Wilpon, fired her for being unmarried and pregnant, the New York Post reported.
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The lawsuit claims the ownership made statements in team meetings that the team was “morally opposed” to her having a child out of wedlock, and the younger Wilpon would often find ways to mockingly check and see if the former employee, identified as Leigh Castergine, was engaged to be married. Other claims of the suit included offering Castergine more money, including a bigger bonus if she were to be married. The Mets have not commented on the story as of yet, but this lawsuit has some legitimacy to it:
The lawsuit against the Mets is the real deal. Specific/detailed allegations of discrimination/retaliation. She's rep'd by a top notch firm.
— Wendy Thurm (@wendythurm.bsky.social) (@wendythurm) September 10, 2014
This isn’t the first round of legal trouble the Wilpons have found themselves in since owning the Mets. Fred Wilpon was a major investor in Bernie Madoff’s infamous ponzi scheme, and lost millions in the scheme and subsequent lawsuits, eventually settling for $162 million dollars.