What was expected to be a carefree summer day at Utah’s most prestigious gated community instead became the starting point of a bitter legal dispute. Wasatch Peaks Ranch is marketed as an enclave so exclusive that it has been described as a community “for the one percent of the one percent.”
According to a lawsuit, tensions flared there in July as Jane Fields, 65, and a female friend prepared to begin a golf tournament for which each had paid $900 to participate.
Fields, whose husband Mark is the former chief executive of Ford Motor Company, claims a caddie approached the pair and instructed them to speed up, finish early and concede shots if necessary.
She has since sued, arguing that the women were pressured to leave the course because of what she describes as blatant sexism.
The complaint alleges that Fields and her friend were removed so male members could use the course that afternoon without women playing alongside them.
Mark and Jane Fields (center and right, with model Carmen Electra) are suing the exclusive Utah ranch where they live over alleged sexist treatment
The Fields’ mansion at Wasatch Peaks Ranch is shown in an image shared by their lawyers with the Daily Mail
Wasatch Peaks management has strongly denied the allegations, but the claims have ignited a high-profile scandal within the secluded, luxury community.
The Fields say they have since been barred from using the extensive amenities surrounding their home. Those facilities were a major factor in the couple’s decision to become founding members in 2021 and build one of the community’s earliest residences, completed in 2024.
Access to WPR is tightly controlled. Prospective residents must be recommended by two existing members and undergo extensive vetting before they are even permitted to view the community’s property listings online.
With their wealth and professional accomplishments, the Fields appeared to be a natural fit for the elite development—until their dispute with the club turned into a legal battle.
The couple first met while working at IBM. They are now attempting to sell their lavish home and are seeking $30 million in damages, according to the lawsuit.
Fields’ attorneys told the Daily Mail on Wednesday that female golfers were offered a hat-making class after leaving the course.
The lawyers also alleged that the winner of the men’s tournament that day received a Rolex Daytona valued at between $15,100 and $56,400, while female participants were handed trophies simply for taking part.
They further claimed that the family’s loss of club amenities has affected access to the property, saying snow is no longer cleared from outside the mansion and that reaching the home can become nearly impossible during Utah’s harsh winters.
In her complaint, Fields described the caddie’s alleged instruction to hurry as a “disturbing and negative way to start play.”
Fields said she later confronted the member services manager, expressing concern that men and women were being treated differently, according to the lawsuit.
She reportedly told the male manager that the treatment of the women golfers was “unfair, disrespectful, derogatory and sexually discriminating.”
Fields also claims she asked the manager to pass her concerns along to senior leadership.
Mark Fields, the former CEO of Ford Motor Company, is pictured with his wife at a gala event
The gate house for the ultra exclusive ranch is seen here in a 2023 file photo
As well as the golf course, there is also 3,000 acres of private skiing at residents’ disposal, fly fishing, as well as miles of trails for hiking
And it appears he did just that – with disastrous consequences for Mr and Mrs Fields.
Four days later, the couple were informed by the ranch’s disciplinary committee that they had been expelled effective immediately, Mrs Fields’s lawsuit said.
In their notice, they accused Mrs Fields of using ‘abusive and profane’ language toward staff members and of behavior ‘unbecoming’ of the club, her lawsuit alleges.
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The couple, via the lawsuit, have disputed those characterizations and insist that they should never have ever been kicked out.
Instead they said the club banishing them was their way of concealing gender discrimination and removing members ‘whose criticism it no longer wished to hear.’
After being stripped of their membership, the couple’s $500,000 membership deposit and contractual refund rights were put at risk with the expulsion starting an 18-month timer to transfer their membership, the suit said.
The couple say their mansion has suffered ‘serious devaluation’ since the loss of access to amenities, according to their lawsuit.
Membership privileges may be reactivated for whoever buys the property.
Then Vice President Joe Biden is seen here with Mark while he was in charge of the motoring giant in January of 2017
Tiger Shaw, the CEO of the ranch, is pictured here speaking at an event in October 2019
An attorney for the family described the home, that they built themselves, as being their ‘legacy property’ that they intended to hand down to their children for generations.
According to public records seen by the Daily Mail, the couple also own a $7.5 million home in Delray Beach, Florida.
After being expelled, the couple requested a hearing and asked for more details, but the suit said that the ranch failed to provide them with any reports or witness statements.
At a hearing in August of this year, the two claimed they were not permitted to ask questions and were not given the opportunity to dispute anything, the suit claimed.
At that same meeting, the two said they read prepared statements and apologized, with the suit adding that they still did not think they had breached any provisions.
They also requested probation or at least a temporary suspension as an alternative to being forced out entirely, the suit added.
Despite that, they said they were informed in early August that their expulsion had been ‘reaffirmed.’
The lawsuit named the ranch’s CEO Tiger Shaw, who is also the former president and CEO of US Ski and Snowboard. The disciplinary committee were also named.
According to the ranch website, it is a private mountain community with over 12,000 acres for residents to explore.
In addition to the golf course, there is also 3,000 acres of private skiing for residents, fly fishing, as well as miles of trails for hiking.
Mark was previously the president and CEO of Ford Motor Company from 2014 until 2017 after having previously served as their Chief Operating Officer from 2012 until 2014.
His rise to the top job for the firm came after he worked as an executive across the Americas for the company for 23 years.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he is currently sitting on the board of Hertz, and is a Chairperson for software firm Planview.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, representatives for the ranch said: ‘Wasatch Peaks Ranch strongly believes in respecting the privacy of its members and employees.
‘While WPR will not discuss the specific details of this matter, WPR disputes the allegations in the Fields’ complaint and is prepared to defend against the lawsuit.
‘WPR stands by its decision and remains committed to maintaining a positive and respectful environment for both its members and employees.’
Lawyers have been appointed by the ranch who have made their appearance known, court filings showed, but they have yet to file a response to Fields’ lawsuit.