Suit Against American Apparel Dismissed

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One of three sexual harassment lawsuits brought by former employees of American Apparel has been dismissed, the Los Angeles-based clothing manufacturer announced Tuesday.


A former district manager, who helped open American Apparel retail stores in Chicago for three months beginning in November 2004, dropped her three-month-old suit earlier this month in U.S. District Court in Chicago.


Manager Julie Carrozzi had alleged she was fired after complaining about American Apparel’s policies, which included decorating store walls with vintage Penthouse magazine covers and taking full-body photographs of prospective employees.


“The magazines were artistic,” said Joyce Crucillo, a senior associate at the Business Law Center which represents American Apparel. The magazine covers also included Playgirl, Life and Look. The company claims it has a policy of taking photographs of prospective employees in order to determine whether their fashion fits American Apparel’s style.


American Apparel is not required to pay legal fees to Carrozzi, whose lawyer, Christian Gabroy, declined comment.


The suit is one of three claiming sexual harassment against American Apparel, whose chief executive, Dov Charney, has come under fire for his unorthodox approach to sex in the workplace.


A separate suit filed in May by two former employees in Los Angeles Superior Court claims Charney exposed himself to one of them, showed up in the office in his underwear and called the other woman into his office to give her a vibrator. A third suit, also filed in May in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Charney invited her to masturbate with him.


The company’s employment liability insurer filed a lawsuit against American Apparel last month, seeking to cancel its policy on grounds that Charney falsely indicated his company had a zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment.

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