Acclaimed fashion designer Elie Tahari has been sued by Marcy Castelgrande, a fashion consultant, for sexual harassment. In a lawsuit filed on June 12 at the Manhattan Federal Court, Castelgrande claims she was fired in 2011 from a modeling session for the fashion brand after Tahari lifted her skirt in a room of coworkers. After the incident, she complained to the company’s human resources executives. Castelgrande said she was fired two hours following her complaint.
According to The New York Post, the lawsuit details the altercation as, “Tahari’s recently divorced CEO, Mr. Tahari, unlawfully and inappropriately touched Ms. Castelgrande in the area of her private parts while she was modeling a skirt before a public crowd of at least ten people.” The suit continues to reveal that Mr. Tahari became angry when Castelgrande protested to him touching her in front of the crowd and said, ‘She needs to leave. I can’t work with her. She is too sensitive. I’ve had lawsuits in the past and cannot deal with another one.’”
In her final three months of employment at Tahari’s fashion brand, Castelgrande claims the work environment became “sexually charged.” Castelgrande is seeking $6 million in damages though Jezebel says other reports claim the damages amount to $12 million.
