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Guess Chairman Paul Marciano Resigns Following Harassment Probe

Marciano and Guess reached settlement agreements with five people totaling $500,000 to avoid 'the cost of litigation and without admitting liability or fault,' according to the company.
Guess Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: Guess
By
  • Bloomberg

LOS ANGELES, United States — Guess' Paul Marciano resigned as chairman of the company he co-founded after a probe of sexual-harassment allegations by women including model Kate Upton.

Marciano and Guess reached non-confidential settlement agreements with five individuals totalling $500,000 to avoid “the cost of litigation and without admitting liability or fault,” according to a company filing Tuesday. Marciano will remain on the company’s board.

The allegations included claims of “inappropriate comments and texts, and unwanted advances including kissing and groping,” the company said in a filing. It said investigators interviewed more than 40 people and reviewed approximately 1.5 million pages of documents.

Investigators concluded that though not all allegations could be corroborated, Marciano put himself in situations where such allegations might occur.

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“The investigation found that on certain occasions Mr. Marciano exercised poor judgement in his communications with models and photographers and in placing himself in situations in which plausible allegations of improper conduct could, and did, arise,” the company said.

By Lisa Wolfson and Kim Bhasin; editor: Anne Riley Moffat.

Related Articles:

How Guess Mismanaged Its #MeToo CrisisOpens in new window ]

Guess Co-Founder Paul Marciano Gives Up Daily Duties Amid Probe for Improper ConductOpens in new window ]

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