Plaintiffs' New Suit Claims Ex-Employer Clothing Co. Posted Their Nude Photos Online in Fake Website
Three women who previously sued their ex-employer for sexual harassment have filed a new suit in California state court claiming that they were impersonated online by American Apparel Inc. and chief executive Dov Charney in retaliation for their earlier claims.
Plaintiffs Alyssa Ferguson, Tesa Lubans-Dehaven and Irene Morales allege in their Los Angeles Superior Court suit that the defendants are responsible for posting online on fake websites using their names suggestive photos, some of them nude, that were taken by the clothing company’s photographer, reports Reuters Legal.
The suit asserts claims for defamation and related torts and contends that the conduct of the company, Charney and a co-defendant company photographer, Kyung Chung, violated a state statute making it a crime to impersonate an individual online in a harmful or fraudulent manner,
The company didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment by Reuters and attorney Peter Schey, who represents Charney, said he is reviewing the complaint in the new case. Earlier, he contended that the initial sexual harassment litigation was “contrived and baseless” and intended to force speedy settlement.
Additional and related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Nearly Naked Fashion Exec Claims Legitimate Business Purpose”
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Who Sued Company CEO is Target of Claimed Cyber-Attack Campaign”
Money & Company (Los Angeles Times): “American Apparel shares fall after latest lawsuit by 3 former employees”
New York Post: “Suit added to Apparel”
