A Top L Brands Executive Complained of Harassment. Then She Was Locked Out.

Mr. Elson, the Delaware professor, called it “absolutely not the right response.”

“This is the kind of thing that happened 20 years ago,” he said.

In response to my questions, Ms. Myers, the L Brands spokeswoman, said the company and its board were determined to do better. In a statement — made on behalf of the board’s independent directors — she said the company was “intensely focused” on issues that affect its 90 percent female work force.

“With the adoption in recent years of even more robust anti-harassment policies, hotline reporting and training, we have made significant strides in ensuring that the company provides a safe, welcoming, and empowering workplace for every associate,” she said. “We regret any instance where we did not achieve this objective and are fully committed to continuous improvement and complete accountability.”

Ms. Zucker said it was all too common that companies choose to protect high-ranking executives rather than those employees who bring complaints against them.

“One reason retaliation claims are so prevalent is that it’s human nature to protect the people you know and like,” she said. “The challenge for any governing body is that’s precisely the inclination you have to guard against.”

It’s rare that details of retaliation claims ever become publicly known, though. Such claims, or even the hint of them, raise the specter of a lawsuit, which companies quickly try to head off.

That’s exactly what happened here.

Ms. Mitro hired lawyers at Browne George Ross, a law firm in Los Angeles, and, according to people close to her, recently reached a settlement with L Brands that bars her from disclosing the terms or discussing her claims.

That silence speaks volumes.

Jessica Silver-Greenberg contributed reporting.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/03/business/victorias-secret-l-brands-leslie-wexner.html?emc=rss&partner=rss