The New York Jets have filed a counterclaim against their former vice president of finance, Elaine Chen, after Chen sued the organization, alleging retaliation for cooperating in a sexual harassment investigation into team president Hymie Elhai. The team’s counterclaims include defamation, civil conspiracy, tortious interference, and breach of contract, as seen in court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. The Jets allege that Chen and her husband, former vice president of ticket sales Larry Fitzpatrick, engaged in an “unlawful conspiracy” to “falsely accuse” Elhai of sexual harassment, and that they were fired “rightfully and lawfully” for “egregious, actionable, and utterly reprehensible misconduct.”
The documents also include screenshots of alleged text messages and emails exchanged by Chen and Fitzpatrick, which the Jets claim show communication in the alleged conspiracy. One of the attached screenshots shows a text message from a participant in the sexual harassment investigation, whose identity is redacted, to Fitzpatrick. The message read, “You and Elaine have to not tell anyone, and I mean anyone, that I sent this. He can sue me for slander even though he’d be 100% wrong, don’t need the headache.” Another screenshot shows an alleged text message from another person, whose identity was redacted, to Fitzpatrick, stating, “Can’t f—ing wait to shoot this missile.”
Other screenshots include alleged text messages exchanged with Fitzpatrick that read “cya scumbag” and “good I hope this buries him,” as well as instructions to delete certain text messages and not use the team Wi-Fi network. One of the texts from Chen to Fitzpatrick read, “You can’t tell the girls, they need to be just as shocked.” The Jets are seeking monetary damages from Chen, including costs of the suit and attorneys’ fees, and are now pursuing the case in court. Fox News Digital has reached out to Chen’s attorney for a response, but has not yet received a reply. The Jets are also facing ongoing scrutiny over the broader issues of workplace harassment and management practices in the NFL.