Elie Tahari Is Being Sued For Sexual Harassment

In a lawsuit filed on June 12 in a Manhattan federal court, designer Elie Tahari has been accused of sexual harassment by Marcy Castelgrande, a former employee. The fashion consultant claimed that Tahari allegedly groped her during a 2011 modeling session and then fired her a couple of hours after she reported the incident to human resources. Castelgrande is reportedly suing the fashion designer for $12 million. Page Six published parts of the lawsuit, which detailed the encounter between Tahari and his accuser.

“Tahari’s recently divorced CEO, Mr. Tahari, unlawfully and inappropriately touched Ms. Castelgrande in the area of her private parts while she was modeling a skirt before a public crowd of at least ten people,” the suit stated. After Castelgrande protested his advances, Tahari then allegedly told the room, “She needs to leave. I can’t work with her. She is too sensitive. I’ve had lawsuits in the past and cannot deal with another one."

A favorite amongst celebrities and socialites, Tahari's designs have helped his company grow into a multimillion dollar fashion empire. His most recent collaboration with Vespa was announced just last month.

According to a comment from Tahari's representative posted by The Cut, “Elie Tahari Ltd. and Elie Tahari both deny the allegations contained in the judicial complaint filed by Marcy Castelgrande and are prepared to vigorously defend the matter. Since this a pending legal matter, we do not have any further comment at this time.” Bustle also reached out to the company for a comment.

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