Suit Claims Marc Jacobs Lawyer Told Harassed Employee to Get a Thicker Skin
A suit filed by the former chief operating officer of Marc Jacobs International claims a company lawyer showed little interest in complaints of a sexually charged workplace that included a worker pole dance.
Patrice Lataillade says he was fired from his $1-million-a-year job when he complained, according to the Daily Mail Online, the New York Daily News and the Associated Press. The suit claims CEO Robert Duffy created a hostile work environment by requiring employees to look at gay pornography, producing a book of employees posing in the nude or in sexual positions, and requiring an employee to perform a pole dance.
When one worker complained, the company lawyer told her she needed a “thicker skin,” the suit alleges. Another worker was allegedly told to “go home early and have a drink.” The stories do not name the company lawyer.
A company spokesperson told Vogue that Marc Jacobs and its parent company, LVMH, deny the allegations. “Patrice Lataillade was terminated as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of MJI for serious matters unrelated to the allegations contained in the complaint,” the spokesperson said.
