American Apparel CEO lawsuit
Hmmm, Dov Charney, the CEO of American Apprel, is being sued by 3 former employees in 2 separate lawsuits for creating a “wholly intolerable” and “intimidating” work atmosphere. Here are a couple of other articles that mention the lawsuit.
Their nearly-soft-core porn print advertisements are pretty unique, and apparently Dov shot many of the photos himself.
I wonder how this will pan out.
August 10th, 2005 at 9:17 am
My Condolences Zach,
You’ve not only carved out your own fifteen minute sketch in the media circus, but you’ve been herded down the path of regurgitating what everyone else has been saying.
You know, not a single reporter thus far has had the decency to check out the story, from either side, first hand for themselves. It’s all been the same recycled material from press statements and allegations. Nothing new or definitive in any way.
I wish someone would check out both sides of this story just so that we could have something fresh to read. So far, it has all been I-read-that-she-read-that-he-read that there might be something along the lines of harassment somewhere.
I don’t think that any of the alleged accusers were even singled out by this Charney guy. It’s starting to look more and more like a couple america apparel has-beens are just trying to grab one last piece of the pie before the waitress rings up the bill.
Here’s an example of just how bad some of the coverage has been:
http://mediamythmashing.blogspot.com
August 10th, 2005 at 9:22 am
Where did my comment go?
August 10th, 2005 at 11:29 am
All comments sit around in a moderation queue waiting for approval, I approve everything that isn’t a commercial spam comment (otherwise this site would be full of ads for online poker, several such ads are posted as comments every day, probably by automated spam engines). The site is working properly and you aren’t being censored, but comments are delayed until I can review them and pass them along.
You bring up a couple of interesting points. The first of which implies that this blog is a bid for fame, an attempt to carve out a “fifteen minute sketch in the media circus”. It is true that putting anything on the web becomes a public declaration, and the line between the press and the world of blogs gets thinner every day as more and more traditional reporters turn to blogging and blogs begin to break news stories.
When I started this blog, I did so in large part to keep track of links and information I found interesting. A sort of journal that would reflect bits of media I was ingesting and ideas I was thinking about. It was not meant to bring me fame and fortune, but to collect links and information for myself and a small group of friends. I haven’t sent this blog’s URL to search engines or listed it in any blog indexes (I suppose it’s possible that wordpress does so by default — I’ll have to check). On the other hand, if people find their way to the blog and find the information in one of the blog posts interesting and/or useful to them, that does make me happy.
In the case of the American Apparel lawsuit, I posted the links not to condemn Mr. Charney, but because I find the company and its founder to be interesting. I also happen to like their shirts and advertising. If you re-read my original post, you might note that it simply mentions that there is a lawsuit in progress, and provides links to a few articles about the lawsuit and some clues to the nature of the “transparent persona” (his words) of the accused.
False accusations or not, the lawsuit will be another chapter in Mr. Charney’s fascinating history.
August 10th, 2005 at 11:59 am
By the way, it might be very difficult for anyone to write a story on the lawsuit that checks out both sides of the story. People often clam up during lawsuits at the advice of their lawyers, we may not hear an evenhanded story until the lawsuit is finished. And if there’s a settlement (probably occurs in over half or 3/4 of such lawsuits) the terms of it might dictate that both parties keep their mouths shut on the subject for good.
I do hope that the allegations are untrue. Corporate blandness is the rule these days, and Mr. Charney and his company seem a refreshing and colorful exception.
August 10th, 2005 at 5:22 pm
Okay, you’ve got a point about maintaining your own blog, and I’m sorry. I’ve just expressed skepticism about his guilt elsewhere, and was met with an onslaught of hostility and pre-packaged research to back it up. So, yeah, I came along in a defensive state of mind, and for that, I’m sorry. I guess that I was just disappointed about how those links don’t really lead anywhere that’s positive for Charney, but I don’t suppose that that’s your fault.
About the corporate blandness that all pervasive, it is too bad that someone who mixes business with pleasure and still turns a huge profit is being so quickly condemned, but then again, I guess you only ever hear from the haters and complainers because who would ever make a point of expressing just how fine and content they are?