Ex-Revlon exec sues, claiming discrimination 'for being Jewish'

By Michelle Yeomans

- Last updated on GMT

Ex-Revlon exec sues, claiming discrimination 'for being Jewish'

Related tags Plausible deniability Executive officer Revlon

Former Revlon chief scientific officer Alan Meyers has sued the brand, claiming he was fired after raising safety concerns that the chief executive did not want to hear, and was discriminated against for being Jewish.

According to Meyers, who joined Revlon in 2010, Italian-born CEO Lorenzo Delpani was hostile towards him, frequently yelling at him in front of other executives and making anti-Semitic and anti-American comments.

The lawsuit; Meyer's v. Revlon Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. No. 14-10213' also detailed claims that Delpani had accused Alan of raising "ghost​" safety problems at recently acquired laboratories, resulting in slower production.

The filing, which accuses Revlon of retaliation and discrimination, seeks unspecified damages.

Former CSO was concerned over use of certain raw materials

According to Meyers, many of the safety concerns he raised stemmed from Revlon's $660 million acquisition of Spanish beauty care company Colomer Group in 2013.

He explains he was concerned that raw materials used by Colomer did not satisfy regulatory and safety requirements, and that its laboratories did not meet Revlon's standards.

The former CSO added that after repeatedly raising such concerns, Delpani urged him to keep quiet so that the CEO could retain "plausible deniability" about the problems.

The filing further claims that Delpani also sought to remove from company records a May 2014 email in which Alan had raised quality concerns about a plant in North Carolina.

Finally, Meyers says the Italian-born CEO treated him differently from other members of his team, nearly all of whom were Spanish or Italian, because he was "Jewish ​and American-born".

He claimed that Delpani referred to Americans as "small-minded​" and "dirty​," and at one meeting said he was surprised at the lack of Jewish executives at Revlon because "Jews stick together​."

Revlon - lawsuit is 'completely meritless'

In a statement, Revlon called the lawsuit "completely meritless​," and said Meyers "repeatedly demonstrated critical lapses in judgment and failed to perform at the high standard we demand of our employees."

"We will aggressively fight these baseless claims and this frivolous action,"​ reps for the brand stated.

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