Sir Philip Green will today abandon his legal fight to keep in place gagging orders over sexual harassment, race discrimination and bullying claims made against him by former employees.
In a sensational climbdown, the Topshop tycoon has instructed his lawyers to drop his battle to maintain an injunction against The Telegraph Media Group.
Billionaire Green, 66, who has been accused of using his wealth and power to try to silence his critics, has been locked in a bitter legal war with the group since last summer.
Sir Philip Green, who has run up legal bills of at least £500,000, stands next to his wife Tina Green
Despite running up legal bills of at least £500,000, the fashion mogul has now backed off.
In a statement due to be released this morning, Green and the board of his Arcadia retail group say they have 'decided to discontinue their claim against The Telegraph'.
They add that Arcadia and Sir Philip will seek the court's permission to end the proceedings today. The statement contains a stinging attack on Lord Hain, who unmasked Green as the top businessman at the centre of sexism and racism claims.
It says the Labour peer is guilty of 'disgraceful' behaviour which led to Sir Philip being unfairly vilified in the media.
Green's statement contains a stinging attack on Lord Hain, who unmasked Green as the top businessman at the centre of sexism and racism claims
Green's capitulation could open the floodgates to publish embarrassing detail of claims by former staff, which are covered by confidentiality agreements.
However, the statement warns that these agreements are still in place. It stresses that individuals who signed the documents are exposed to 'significant risk and future legal action' if fresh allegations are published.
The ex-employees could also be forced to repay sums they received as settlements. Green is understood to want to draw a line under the row rather than endure a courtroom confrontation.
The statement says: 'After careful reflection, Arcadia and Sir Philip have … reluctantly concluded that it is pointless to continue with the litigation which has already been undermined by the deliberate and irresponsible actions of Lord Peter Hain – the paid consultant of the Telegraph's lawyers Gordon Dadds – and risks causing further distress to Arcadia's employees.
Businessman Philip Green re-named his boat, seen in the Port of France last year, 'Lionhart' to'Lioness V'
'Consequently, Arcadia and Sir Philip will be seeking the court's permission to discontinue these proceedings.'
Supporters of Green had insisted the allegations were about 'things that would have happened in a workplace of a bygone era – bum-patting and so forth, and 1970s-style silly remarks'.
The statement says: 'Arcadia and Sir Philip cannot comment on the detail of the allegations but confirm that any grievances are treated with the utmost seriousness and are investigated thoroughly in accordance with best practice.'
Supporters of Green had insisted the allegations were about 'things that would have happened in a workplace of a bygone era'
The scandal – labelled 'Britain's MeToo' – surfaced last year when allegations were published against an initially unnamed businessman who had taken out an injunction to prevent him from being identified over alleged bullying, harassment and intimidation.
However, Lord Hain soon revealed Green as the man, using parliamentary privilege which meant he could not be sued.
Sir Philip strenuously denied the allegations. Former pensions minister Baroness Ros Altmann later wrote in the Daily Mail she had also been the subject of aggressive behaviour by Sir Philip.
In the statement, Green and his fellow directors describe Hain's move as 'disgraceful' and say that as a result Sir Philip 'was subjected to a barrage of vicious personal attacks by the media which published allegations that were simply untrue'.
Green said he 'categorically denies any unlawful racist or sexist behaviour'. The statement stresses: 'Sir Philip has been in business for over 45 years and has worked with tens of thousands of people all over the world. He has never before been involved in any complaints or claims like this in his entire career.'
The allegations against Green come from several former employees who signed 'non-disclosure agreements'. These are frequently used by companies to defuse disputes with staff and are a way of keeping potentially embarrassing revelations under wraps.
Sir Philip Green with his daughter, Chloe Green, and his wife, Lady Tina Green in New York
In this case, the employees were handed a sum of money in return for promising to keep quiet. The tycoon originally lost his fight for an injunction in the High Court. He then applied to the Court of Appeal which overturned that decision and granted him a temporary injunction. It ordered a trial, which was due to take place on February 4.
At the time of the Court of Appeal judgment in October Green had already spent around £500,000 on legal fees.
He employed top law firm Schillings to fight the case.
Link hienalouca.com This is interesting We are looking for an investor for a project to grow dinosaurs from chicken eggs and relict plants. Necessary amount of investments from 400 000 to 900 000 dollars. For all interested parties, e-mail angocman@gmail.com. This will be very interesting.
https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/28/topshop-boss-sir-philip-green-quits-legal-fight-over-gagging-orders/
Main photo article Sir Philip Green will today abandon his legal fight to keep in place gagging orders over sexual harassment, race discrimination and bullying claims made against him by former employees.
In a sensational climbdown, the Topshop tycoon has instructed his lawyers to drop his battle to maintain an...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/27/23/9058330-0-image-a-48_1548632867305.jpg
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий