After the Skaldes and Donatelli had dinner together following a game on Nov. 11, 2018, and prepared to return to their hotel, the Skaldes allege in their claim that Donatelli sexually assaulted Erin when they were briefly alone, first putting his arm around her, calling her ?sexy? and pulling her close to him.
"Mrs. Skalde tried to fight off his sexual advances and told him to stop, but to no avail, as Mr. Donatelli escalated his attack, including <graphic description removed> and <graphic description removed>," the lawsuit alleges.
Skalde returned to his wife and Donatelli a few minutes later and they took a car-ride service back to the hotel. Donatelli insisted that he sit in the back seat with Erin for the ride, and that Skalde sit in the front.
"Still in shock and uncertain what to do in response to her husband?s boss sexually assaulting her, Mrs. Skalde fearfully entered the back seat of the car, trying to put as much distance between herself and Mr. Donatelli as she could, to avoid him again sexually touching her," the lawsuit says.
"Mr. Donatelli resumed his sexual assault and battery of Mrs. Skalde once he had her in the darkness of the backseat. He not only <graphic description removed>, but also <graphic description removed>, despite her efforts to push him away? Only later did Mr. Skalde find out what happened to his wife that night, shaking him to the core to learn that he had sat unknowingly in the front seat as his boss has sexually assaulted his wife."
Skalde alleges that seven months later, when the incident was brought to the attention of Penguins? assistant general manager Bill Guerin, whose duties included overseeing the NHL team?s AHL operation, Guerin told Skalde to keep quiet about the alleged assault. He alleges the NHL team has violated Pennsylvania?s whistleblower laws and fired him on May 5, 2020, because he complained to the team.
