The head of a major PR firm has shut down his business after 'an avalanche' of sexual harassment claims from female workers.
Married father-of-three Trevor FitzGibbon, president of FitzGibbon Media, allegedly asked an interviewee if she was open 'to having any fun' and asked her to send him risque photographs of herself.
She refused and after speaking out, several other women at the company came forward claiming that they too had experienced sexual harassment but had stayed quiet in fear of losing their jobs.
Trevor FitzGibbon, head of liberal PR firm FitzGibbon Media, as shut down his business after 'an avalanche' of sexual harassment claims from female worker
They clubbed together and last night FitzGibbon shut down his company - plunging his entire staff into redundancy - saying that 'an irreconcilable difference' had emerged between him and his employees.
FitzGibbon Media is a liberal PR firm and has represented causes such as Wikileaks, Chelsea Manning, Amnesty International and The Guardian newspaper.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3366422/Head-major-liberal-PR-firm-worked-likes-Wikileaks-Chelsea-Manning-shuts-business-avalanche-sexual-harassment-claims-female-workers.html
The company, which has offices in New York, Washington DC, San Francisco and London, told its staff they were out of work at 4pm yesterday.
The allegations emerged after Sierra Pedraja, 26, was invited to meet FitzGibbon during a staff retreat in Austin, Texas, earlier this month.
FitzGibbon allegedly asked an interviewee if she was open 'to having any fun' and asked her to send him risque photographs of herself
She thought she was applying for a job with the firm, but claims she soon found herself being sexually harassed by the company's president.
Ms Pedraja told the Huffington Post that FitzGibbon told her how beautiful she was and asked if she was open to having fun while she was in town.
'I knew exactly what he meant,' Pedraja said. 'I really wanted the job, but I didn't want to embarrass him and mortify him and say, "No! Are you crazy?" So I gave a nervous laugh.'
She claims he invited her to meet him alone at his hotel the next day, but she refused.
Ms Pedraja insists she 'didn't ask for it' and was left feeling 'very uncomfortable'.
A few days later, FitzGibbon got chatting to her on Facebook and asked her to send a 'Maxim' photo, presumably alluding to the men's magazine which publishes pictures of women in bikinis.
She again refused and this time spoke to other women at the firm, with many of them coming forward with their own claims.
One woman claimed that the PR boss had groped her in a hotel room. She told the Huffington Post that Fitzgibbon 'came over and stuck his hand right down and grabbed my breast' while she was on the phone.
Last night the redundant staff members came together to release a statement.
FitzGibbon's employees, who are now all redundant, tweeted their fury following the harassment allegations
It said: 'The team that comprised FitzGibbon Media is incredibly sad and disappointed to confirm that allegations have been made against Trevor FitzGibbon, FitzGibbon Media founder and President, for sexual assault and harassment of multiple female staffers.
'Staffers reported over a half dozen incidents of sexual harassment and at least two involving sexual assault committed by Trevor FitzGibbon against his own employees.
'For decades, Trevor presented himself a champion of the progressive movement, claiming to support and respect women and feminist issues, from equal pay to reproductive rights, but his actions prove a hypocrisy so great that FitzGibbon Media closed its doors today, as we could no longer continue working under his leadership.
'We lost our jobs standing up for what's right, to ensure a safe workplace for all — and while we may have been left without jobs, benefits and long-term healthcare, we have our integrity and each other.
'We are devastated to see our beloved place of work closed at the hands of such a coward and hope to continue working on the social and political issues we love and care so deeply for in the future.'
FitzGibbon released a statement saying he had 'tremendous regret' in closing the firm and apologized to his clients.
He said: 'The allegations against me are a distraction to the mission at hand.
'In order to do what is best for the company, I took a leave of absence. However, it is abundantly clear that an irreconcilable difference has arisen between the FitzGibbon team and me.
'We had no choice but to make the difficult decision to close FitzGibbon Media.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3366422/Head-major-liberal-PR-firm-worked-likes-Wikileaks-Chelsea-Manning-shuts-business-avalanche-sexual-harassment-claims-female-workers.html
