Steiff Toys CEO Accused of Sexual Harassment, Faces $80M Lawsuit
According to the
Associated Press, a marketing executive for the well-known toy maker Steiff filed an $80 million
sexual harassment lawsuit against the company's CEO, accusing him of rape after a year of inappropriate and unwanted sexual advances.
Jane Collins, the Steiff employee who filed the lawsuit, claims the company did nothing to stop CEO Martin Frechen's "extreme and outrageous conduct," despite repeated complaints.
Steiff company lawyers have denied these allegations.
The lawsuit, filed in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, claimed Frechen sexually harassed Collins during trade shows in 2009 and in 2007.
The Associated Press reported that the rape happened in 2004 near the German company's North American headquarters in Raynham, Mass.
A week after allegedly fondling her at a corporate event, the complaint says Frechen — who was moving back to Germany — asked Collins to accompany him to a storage unit where he planned to keep his wife's car, and according to the lawsuit, he sexually assaulted her while in the unit.
According to her injury lawyer, Christopher Brennan, Collins never contacted police because she was afraid of losing her job.
She remains assistant marketing manager at Steiff's North American arm, where she started working in 2000. Its global parent, Margarete Steiff GmbH, is based in Giengen an der Brenz, Germany.
According to Associated Press reports, Frechen said he "intends to vigorously defend himself against these claims and believes he ultimately will prevail," said his lawyer, Michael L. Rosen.
David Rosenthal, a Steiff company attorney, said it is "committed to providing a safe and comfortable working environment for all of its employees" and will contest Collins' claims.
Collins recorded her alleged encounters with Frechen in her diary. She appealed to Steiff's North American chief for help in dealing with Frechen, but the U.S. executive never reported or investigated her complaints, the Associated Press reported.
Steiff is best known for its teddy bears and other stuffed animals. This plush-toy empire began in 1880, and some of its products are prized by collectors.