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Court upholds suit against salon owner By Chris Bristol The state Court of Appeals has refused to overturn punitive damages against the owner of a Medford beauty salon who was sued by employees for sexual harassment. The court�s ruling, issued Wednesday, was a double blow for David Lee Creager, co-owner of About Change .... Your Hair & Face Place. Earlier in the week he was convicted of a misdemeanor for allegedly groping a teen-age client. The appeals case stems from a 1994 lawsuit filed by five employees of Visual Changes, a now-defunct salon formerly owned and operated by Creager. The employees, all women, accused Creager, 55, of sexual harassment, alleging he subjected them to a pattern of unwelcome physical contact (kissing, hugging, groping) as well as obscene or demeaning statements and dirty jokes. Although the jury rejected most of the plaintiffs� legal claims, including sexual harassment and wrongful discharge, it ruled for three of them on the charge of battery. Each was awarded $500 in economic damages and $10,000 in punitive damages. The fourth employee dropped out of the case mid-trial and the trial judge dismissed the fifth. Creager appealed, arguing the punitive damages were out of proportion to the economic damages. The appeals court disagreed, ruling that exceptions under case law and the "reprehensibility of defendant�s conduct" supported the disparity in damages. Punitive damages are punishment for civil wrongdoing, typically against businesses. Such damages are not always allowed by the courts, and can only be awarded in addition to economic damages for malicious or willful misconduct. The appeals court also reinstated a breach-of-contract claim filed by one of the two employees who were dismissed from the case, and reversed trial judge Ross Davis� decision to award attorneys fees against both. Attorneys for the employees have not decided yet whether to seek a new trial on the fifth employee�s claim for breach of contract claim. Creager, who represented himself on appeal, declined comment Friday. In an unrelated matter, Creager pleaded no contest Monday to a misdemeanor charge of sexual harassment stemming from allegations he groped two teenage customers last September. According to a prosecutor, one of the victims said she had fallen asleep while receiving a facial from Creager. When she awoke, one of her breasts was exposed. Prosecutors said an apologetic Creager told the girl, "I guess I should have asked for permission first." But defense attorney Charles Kochlacs said his client pleaded no contest only to avoid the risk of a more serious conviction. He told the court the case was a misunderstanding � something to do with the application of tanning lotion � and that a witness was prepared to testify she saw nothing amiss. Creager was subsequently placed on two years of supervised probation, ordered to perform 24 hours of community service and pay the victim�s counseling costs. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA