• 14
  • March
    2011

When people work in positions in which they place a great deal of respect in their superiors, the superiors may be more likely to abuse their positions of power. In addition, people who feel as though they cannot leave their jobs because they need the paychecks may put up with a hostile work environment because they feel as though they have no other choice.

When those two elements are combined, employees may feel trapped in situations in which they are being sexually abused. One young woman, Irene, is filing a sexual harassment lawsuit against the founder and chief executive of American Apparel for that reason.

Irene started working at American Apparel when she was 17, and Dov started sexually harassing her shortly after. According to the lawsuit, Dov "conducted a campaign of extreme psychological abuse and torment." The lawsuit accuses Dov of initially making explicit sexual advances toward Irene, and he eventually forced her to perform sexual acts on him.

However, Irene is not the only one with legal concerns. After Irene filed the lawsuit requesting $260 million, American Apparel fired back. The legal team at American Apparel claimed that Irene signed a severance agreement when she left the company, and part of the agreement stated that she had no pending claims against the company and signing the agreement indicated "a full release of claims and an agreement to submit any future claims to confidential binding arbitration."

A statement from American Apparel stated that the lawsuit from Irene attempted to use the media to extort the company, and Dov dismissed the allegations as "shame tactics." This is not the first time American Apparel has received negative attention for sexual activities, but hopefully it will be the last.

Irene's lawyer said Dov's tactics are "improper and unenforceable and designed only to silence [Irene]." Hopefully his desire to have the case heard by a grand jury is awarded, and Irene is able to find the justice she deserves.

Source: The Guardian, "American Apparel founder Dov Charney faces sexual harassment suit," Richard Adams, 9 March 2011