Doc Johnson Hit With Lawsuit Over Talent Contracts, Coercion Allegations

Imagine working for a company that asks you not only to illegally change contracts but also try to get your boss fired. That's only part of the claims in a recent lawsuit filed against sex toy company Doc Johnson.

A former marketing manager at Doc Johnson Enterprises has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accusing the adult products manufacturer and its top executives of manipulating talent contracts, ignoring repeated reports of sexual coercion, and firing her after she refused to participate in what she describes as fraudulent conduct.

The complaint, filed Jan. 26 by the former marketing manager at Doc Johnson, names Doc Johnson Enterprises, Health Devices Corporation, and Chief Operating Officer and Chief Creative Officer Chad Braverman as defendants, along with company founder and President Ronald Bravermanas defendants.

The 51-year-old woman worked for the North Hollywood-based company for nearly eight years, first as a social media consultant in 2016 and later as a full-time marketing manager beginning in 2017. She alleges she was terminated on July 12, 2024, ten days after refusing a request to alter the talent commission agreements.

The lawsuit asserts nine causes of action, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to prevent harassment, violation of California’s whistleblower statute, and wrongful termination.

At the center of the dispute are allegations that company leadership sought to change commission structures in performer contracts to significantly reduce payouts.

According to the complaint, on July 2, 2024, Chad Braverman asked her to alter existing talent agreements by reducing the 30% commission on the first 500 units sold to 5%, payable only after 500 units had been sold. The agreements were described as tiered, with commissions tied to sales thresholds.

The marketing manager alleges that because the company typically placed one 500-unit order every three months, the revised structure would have made it unlikely that performers would ever reach the threshold required to earn a commission. She refused to make the changes and reported the request to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Scott Watkins, who, according to the complaint, did not act on her concerns.

The complaint further alleges that leadership sought to bypass a six-month direct-to-consumer exclusivity window by releasing products to retail stores ahead of schedule. In a pre-trade show meeting, Watkins is quoted as acknowledging that the company was moving products to market before the contractually required six-month period had elapsed.

On information and belief, the complaint also references a separate ongoing legal dispute concerning unpaid talent commissions.

Beyond the contract dispute, the marketing manager alleges a broader pattern of sexual misconduct and retaliation involving company leadership and a consultant.

The complaint states that between 2022 and 2024, approximately eight performers contacted the marketing manager with allegations that a company consultant pressured them to provide sexual favors in exchange for product deals. It further alleges that if a performer rejected the consultant’s advances, he would seek the removal of her products from the company’s website.

The marketing manager claims she escalated these concerns to both Watkins and Chad Braverman, but that no corrective action was taken. In one alleged exchange, Watkins is quoted as telling her that “Chad is involved with sleeping with the talent too. Nothing will be done”.

In February 2024, a performer allegedly reported that the consultant had propositioned her and another performer and later attempted to interfere with their ability to secure bookings after they refused.

The complaint also alleges that a third-party investigation previously corroborated and substantiated multiple sexual harassment claims against Ron and Chad Braverman, but that no meaningful corrective action was taken.

The marketing manager alleges she herself was subjected to repeated sexual comments by Chad Braverman, including remarks about her body and an incident in which he sang sexually explicit lyrics directed at her. She further alleges that at an executive meeting, Braverman and another executive expressed a desire that she “come to work nude”.

Ronald Braverman is accused in the complaint of using racial slurs during a meeting in response to the marketing manager's suggestion that a product line name be reconsidered. The filing describes additional incidents involving sexually explicit caricatures displayed in the workplace and comments made to female employees and partners.

The marketing manager alleges that Chad Braverman served as the company’s designated head of human resources, leaving her without an independent avenue to file formal complaints.

On July 12, 2024, the marketing manager was informed she was being terminated, with “financial struggles at the company” cited as the reason. On information and belief, she was the only employee laid off as part of that purported reduction-in-force.

The California Department of Civil Rights issued a Notice of Case Closure and Right to Sue on Jan. 8, 2026, clearing the way for the civil action. The suit seeks general and special damages, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, injunctive relief, and a jury trial.

If the complainant is successful in her civil lawsuit against the company, this opens the doors for hundreds of additional lawsuits from the very adult performers she references in her case. All of which are now only finding out some years later that they have been the victim of fraud.

Doc Johnson has sold hundreds of porn star-branded pocket pussy sex toys over the years. It's unknown how many may be subject to this lawsuit or future lawsuits, but we'll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Especially considering that if even part of the sexual coercion aspects of the complaint is proven in civil court, it could potentially open the door for criminal action.