The US lifestyle provider Guess has agreed to pay $30 million in a settlement after the brand’s co-founder, Paul Marciano (71), was accused of sexual harassment. In his role as senior creative director, Paul Marciano repeatedly sexually harassed models with whom he worked for advertising campaigns.
According to Fortune, it will pay $22 million to settle a pension fund lawsuit over allegations that Guess board members allowed Marciano to treat the company’s models “like his personal harem.” As part of the settlement in the legal dispute, Guess will change its corporate governance guidelines regarding sexual harassment complaints because the company has ignored the recurring allegations for too long. In addition, the accused’s brother, board member and co-founder Maurice Marciano, will resign from the board.
Guess is also suing its insurers for $8 million, according to Delaware Chancery Court filings.
The settlement comes years after allegations of sexual misconduct made by supermodel and actress Kate Upton and other models in 2018. At the time, Guess paid $500,000 to settle sexual harassment allegations. Also last year, Guess agreed to pay $1 million to settle lawsuits from two unnamed models who also accused Paul Marciano of abusing them.