A previous Victoria’s Secret staff said she was sexually harassed by the clothing department supervisor at a Philadelphia business, according to a complaint. And when she reported her knowledge, she alleges, she was retaliated against during her transitions and ignored by company higher-ups.
The statements were laid out in a complaint that was filed last month in the U. S. District Court in Philadelphia and reported on earlier this week by Philadelphia Magazine. The coat seeks unspecified injuries from Victoria’s Secret.
The North Philadelphia girl, Ionnae Alvarado-Jones, said the abuse started in February 2022, no longer after she started her career as a sales associate at the Victoria’s Secret business in Liberty Place. According to court records, a manager constantly told Alvarado-Jones she was “sexy, ” commented on her breasts and touched her chest and arm inappropriately.
A business manager saw this behaviour and ignored it, Alvarado-Jones alleges in the complaint.
Alvarado-Jones furthermore reported the abuse to the business ’s ethics line and human resources departments, she said, but never heard again. After Alvarardo-Jones filed an initial review with the line, her supervisors at the business started to quibble her work and cry and plague at her, according to the files.
A spokeswoman for Victoria’s Secret did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The director accused of sexual abuse was named in the lawsuit, but not listed as a respondent. It is unclear whether any administrators named in the lawsuit also work for Victoria’s Secret.
Alvarado-Jones, now 21, said the experience made her “physically sick, ” and has turned her into a hyper-vigilant person, who can be sent into a panic by a tone of voice or an unexpected touch.
“Imagine being hyper-aware of every interaction, analyzing every word you say because you did n’t want to ‘provoke’ anything, ” she said in a statement through her attorney, David Koller. “The stress became a constant buzzing in the background of my life, later clinging to my regular ideas, tasks, and activities. ”
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