Zara facing $40 million ‘homophobic harassment’ lawsuit
Clothing giant Zara is facing a $40 million (£26 million) lawsuit including allegations of homophobic harassment.
The former attorney for Zara, Ian Miller, says he was sacked from the Spanish fashion brand for being “Jewish, American and gay.”
Mr Miller worked as general counsel for Zara from 2008 until March 2015, and filed the lawsuit in the New York State Supreme Court this week.
He claims he was subjected him to homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic harassment during his time there.
Reuters reports that the lawsuit states he was excluded from meetings, given smaller raises than his colleagues, and that he was subjected to homophobic, racist and anti-Semitic remarks.
Mr Miller goes on to claim in the lawsuit that senior employees of Zara were protected from reprisal by the company’s founder Amancio Ortega Gaona.
Miller’s attorney David Sanford stated: “Zara overlooked Mr. Miller’s stellar performance, marginalized his role in the company, and gave him lower raises than employees who fit the company’s preferred profile.”
Zara’s parent company, the world’s largest fashion retailer Inditex will fight the claims.
“We do not tolerate any behavior that is discriminatory or disrespectful, but value each individual’s contributions to our dynamic organization,” the company said.
