THE BATTALION Page 7
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1980
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United Press Internationa]
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — More
than five years after top Texas tele
phone company executive Thur
O’Dell Gravitt asphyxiated himself
in his Dallas garage — leaving a note
saying “Watergate was a gnat com
pared to the Bell system” — all the
charges and counter charges finally,
are coming due.
When the Texas Supreme Court
makes its final ruling, expected this
year, on the libel and slander suit
filed by Gravitt’s survivors and for
mer Southwestern Bell official James
Ashley, the lid on Pandora’s Box like
ly will close.
It has made years of interesting —
and costly — reading for ratepayers
as Southwestern Bell paid some $2
million in attorney fees to defend it
self against the sensational charges
generated by Ashley and Gravitt.
The telephone company and some
of its executives were accused of
maintaining illegal political slush-
funds and making illegal campaign
contributions, tapping telephones,
pressuring female employees into
sexual relationships, engaging in
underhanded rate practices and win
ing and dining — and providing
women for — the politicians who set
the rates.
During the long court battle the
reputations of Ashley and Gravitt,
which the libel and slander suit
ostensibly sought to protect, took a
mauling as company witnesses testi
fied the two executives were at the
bottom of the very wrongdoing
which they alleged was carried out
by the huge utility.
Ashley and Gravitt were accused
of sexually harrassing female sub
ordinates, padding their expense
accounts and engaging in conflict of
interest.
It never was established definitely
who — if anyone — emerged victo
rious. Both sides now claim triumph
and exoneration. But both indicate
they would just as soon forget it.
One San Antonio jury awarded
Ashley and his wife $1 million on
grounds Bell tapped their tele
phones, and another local jury pre
sented Gravitt’s widow and Ashley
with $3 million on grounds the two
executives were libeled and slan
dered by company investigators.
But Ashley has collected nothing
and maintains “money never was the
primary issue. It was a principal
thing — don’t get me wrong — but
point to a lengthy Federal Com
munications Commission investiga
tion which last October absolved the
company of any of the wrongdoing
alleged in the sensational trials.
The State Supreme Court has
forever doomed the original $1 mil
lion wiretapping award and unless it
departs from its standard procedure
of upholding civil appeals courts in
such cases, it will also rule in Bell’s
favor in the remaining libel and slan
der suit, previously overturned by
the 4th Court of Civil Appeals.
Ashley and his colorful attorney,
Pat Maloney, however, contend
they are still optimistic the $3 million
jury award will be reinstated.
“We re confident they will (rule on
behalf of Ashley and Gravitt),”
Ashley said. “We’ve always felt that
way.”
“I think this is a different lawsuit,”
added Maloney, who portrayed his
client as David versus Goliath. “We
really have high hopes. It’s been
pending more than a year now. One
can conclude from that that it is
being seriously regarded.”
But Bell officials, with two major
court victories to their credit, are
more optimistic the Supreme Court
also will uphold its arguments.
“Folks over here feel that we don’t
have any comment. We couldn’t add
to what we’ve said repeatedly be
fore,” said company spokesman Mar
co Gilliam. “We consider the case
closed and we re looking forward to
other matters.”
Ashley, who once called himself
“The Ralph Nader of the telephone
industry,” claims his revelations in
the lawsuits helped push the legisla
ture to final approval of a Texas Pub
lic Utilities Commission, which for
the first time regulates telephone
rates throughout the state. Previous
ly each city dealt individually with
the telephone company, leading to
Texas being one of the top profit
making states for the American Tele
phone and Telegraph Co.
It is debatable whether Texas rate
payers have noticed much differ
ence, however, because the commis
sion continues to approve telephone
rate hikes, the most recent one for
$137 million, just $9 million less than
Southwestern Bell requested.
“They’re (Bell) the master of the
mechanics (of obtaining rate hikes).
Throughout the country they’ve ma
jored in living comfortably with reg
ulation boards,” Maloney said.
the case again in similar circumst
ances.
“It’s been a costly experience, but
one I would relive again,” the attor
ney said. “It’s a difficult thing being
against the largest corporation in the
world which has endless resources. ”
The allegations began flying after
Oct. 17, 1974, when Gravitt, the
handsome silver-haired Texas vice
president of the company and former
president of the San Antonio Cham
ber of Commerce, closed his garage
door in Dallas, started his car and
died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Two weeks later his friend,
Ashley, was fired from his $60,000 a
year job as commercial manager in
San Antonio. Then on Nov. 15, 1974,
the $29 million libel and slander suit
was filed, alleging the two officials
were being harrassed because they
opposed widespread wrongdoing in
Southwestern Bell.
The suit portrayed Southwestern
Bell executives as “super high livers”
engaging in rampant promiscuity
and keeping a double set of books to
obtain unjustified rate increases in
Texas. The suit charged Bell investi
gators hounded Gravitt to commit
suicide and caused Ashley’s firing.
C.L. Todd, local Bell chief, coun
ter-charged that if there was any
wrongdoing, Ashley and Gravitt
were behind it.
Todd recently preferred to let Gil
liam do the talking after claiming
numerous times the appeals courts
had upheld his original position.
Bell’s battery of attorneys coun
tered the allegations in court by call
ing 15 women who told of alleged
sexual harrassment and sexual en
counters, on desk tops and in motel
rooms, with the two former execu
tives. They also presented evidence
of false vouchering by the two men
and an alleged conflict of interest by
Ashley in a printing firm which did
business with Southwestern Bell.
United Press International
WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — The
waiters and waitresses wore military
outfits. The customers’ uniforms,
medals and artillery were worth food
and drink and the ayatollah could
have been traded for a piece of the
profit.
Sunday was “Proud to Be An
American Day” at Goldie’s Res
taurant, and proof that a person once
served in the armed forces — dis
charge papers or dog tags — was
worth a free drink. A medal would
get the owner a gift of either food or
drink.
A tank was good for a weekly din
ner for two for the next two years,
and the Ayatollah Khomeini — the
real one and “in any condition” —
would have netted the captor the
jackpot: half-interest in the res
taurant.
Proprietor Joseph D’Angelo said
two tanks were en route from Car
lisle, Pa., and Geneva, N.Y.
“They’re on flatbeds,” he said.
“We’re looking forward to them
showing up.”
Williamsville High School student
Kenneth Coleman came dressed as
the ayatollah, and was guarded by his
friend, Peter Steiner. “We do a lot of
crazy things,” Coleman explained,
“and we wanted to try this.”
He estimated that 1,000 people
turned out for the party, “even from
Philadelphia and Washington.”
D’Angelo also circulated a petition
that he will send to Congress in an
effort to have Feb. 10 proclaimed
“Proud to Be American Day,” a na
tional holiday.
EASE'S
PAPER COMPETITION
FOR UNDERGRADUATES
presented by
Pi Sigma Alpha
(Political Science honor society)
$100 Award for First Place
papers written for upper division Pol. Sci. courses are
eligible.
entries are due in rm. 130 Bolton Hall by March 21,5:00
p.m.
FOR INFORMATION CALL 693-6382
TUESDAY
NIGHT
BUFFET
SPECIAL
6 to 8 p.m.
Have ALL the Pizza, Fried Chicken
|| and Salad you can eat for
| ONLY 2"
!& “There’s no pizza like a Pasta’s Pizza! We guarantee it!”
m
M
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PIZZA
LASAGNE
SPAGHETTI
807 TEXAS AVE.
696-8380
I’m not sitting around waiting % any . “We’re disappointed (with the com- .
money that might be foj-tjjqpming;.” u --*■
Bell officials proudly note that
both money awards were overturned
on appeal on grounds the evidence
did not support the verdicts reached
by the San Antonio jurors. They also
ir|-
rovem’ent.'’'
Maloney admits he may not make
any money for his legal services be
cause appeals courts overruled both
jury awards, but said he would take
Texans
for
Connally
*** PARTY & MIXER
Join us on Valentine’s Day at Last
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Everyone is invited!
Wednesday
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