A lawsuit has been filed against the parent company of retailer Victoria’s Secret alleging that the lingerie and bra seller had a toxic culture for years. The retailer has several locations in Texas. The parent company, L Brands, may be required to turn over records as a shareholder is alleging that the environment at Victoria’s Secret included discrimination, retaliation and sexual harassment. A shareholder of the company requested to see its books after news agencies reported that there had been a long period of harassment and bullying.
The shareholder said he wanted to investigate whether the company or its board of directors had engaged in wrongdoing. The lawsuit says that the company failed to provide documents and ignored the shareholder’s follow-up messages. The shareholder has beneficial ownership of around 216 shares of stock in L Brands.
Victoria’s Secret has been struggling recently. The brand is associated with models and sexy lingerie, and its one-time CEO was tied to Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sex trafficking. L Brands had been working on a deal to make Victoria’s Secret a private company, but the deal fell apart. The brand has reported it will close more than 200 retail locations in 2020, and it had net sales fall by 37% in the first quarter of the year.
Employers in Texas are required by law to provide their employees with a safe environment within which to work. Sexual harassment comes in two forms, hostile work environment and quid pro quo. Either of these types of sexual harassment might give rise to legal claims for compensation. An attorney might help people who believe they have suffered sexual harassment in the workplace by examining the facts of a client’s case and conducting depositions or otherwise gathering evidence to prepare for trial. An attorney may be able to negotiate settlement on the client’s behalf.
